Shelter from the Rain
by SmilesLasting
Summary: sasusaku; Unexpectedly, she fell in love with his bloody kisses. Vampire AU.
1. secret

[A/N] This is dedicated to a very special girl named Tara. Why? The answer is six-fold: For being an absolutely fantastic buddy I can discuss all my romantic troubles with; for being an awesome supporter in the fanfic world with her cheerful feedback; for her inspiring art that I can't help but guffaw at and sometimes drool over like the pervert I am (DarkestWish at DA guys); for every creative idea she gives me, which amounts to quite a lot; for loving sexy vampires maybe even more than I do; and just for being an all-around amazing person. Love you, dearie!

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

1} secret

.

.

_it's like ecstasy when his lips brush against my skin_

.

His lips were warm against her hand. She felt like she was burning up—was it with love? Lust? She couldn't think clearly, only experience the strange sensations his lips were causing her to feel. Her heart was thudding hard in her chest; breathing was almost too difficult to handle and it was impossible to look away from his captivating dark gaze.

Nothing was making sense anymore.

"Sakura… calm down," he murmured. He kissed her forehead, the tip of her ears, the end of her jaw.

Calm down? That was impossible. How could she calm down when _he_ was the one exciting her with his teasing kisses? If he really wanted her to relax, he would stop purposefully stimulating her body.

He knew it, too; she could tell by his vaguely smug expression when he pulled his lips from her cheek and looked at her. He loved this. For him, it was a game to play—and he always, always won.

"Don't fall in love with me, now," he said teasingly, taking her face into his cool hands.

"Shut up," she muttered, as he leaned in and tipped his head towards hers.

Their lips met softly at first, then increasingly more passionately. His kiss was, as usual, overly demanding, but like every other time, she could never refuse him. She would never admit it, but she liked it as much as he did. Maybe even more.

She responded to the feel of his tongue against her lips and her mouth opened a little wider, her lips parting to welcome his growing greed. Her arms reached up and wrapped around him, urging him to come closer. Her back pressed into the soft bed as he gently pushed her down. Their bodies pressed together in inconceivably close proximity, and with this closeness, she could faintly detect the scent of his cologne—she decided she liked the smell.

But she liked his hot kiss even more.

The two broke apart, out of breath. She realized her hand had crept into his hair unconsciously, and she quickly pulled her arms away from around him back to her sides. He smirked at her knowingly. He could tell exactly what she was thinking.

Then he spoke. "May I?" he asked, his fingers on her blouse.

She sighed a little, still panting as she lied on the bed. "Yeah."

He unbuttoned her shirt slowly. One, two, three buttons—he hesitated at the fourth. Then he pulled her collar away and pressed his lips against her throat. She could feel his hot breath against her bare skin. Could he possibly be nervous, like she was? For a second, she could feel nothing but his heat against her neck.

Then, suddenly, pain: his sharp teeth sunk into her throat.

She couldn't stop a small moan from escaping her mouth: "Aah…" It hurt, but… was it strange how she enjoyed it? Because it hurt, she knew it was reality, and because it was him, she was all too willing to allow his fangs to pierce her. His bloody kiss was reserved only for her.

Maybe she was being too confident, though—after all, they had only gotten into this kind of situation by pure chance...

.

.

_or is the right word "fate"?_

_._

It was really not easy being the high school outcast.

It was also really not easy getting bullied for it, although to be truthful, this was something she had brought upon herself.

Haruno Sakura couldn't stop herself from sighing as she pulled out an impaled tack from the bottom of her heel. It stung a little. She rolled off her black knee-high sock and grabbed a bandaid from the inside of her skirt pocket. Balancing herself on her unhurt foot, she ripped off the white wrapping and carefully stuck the bandaid on top of the dot of blood before it could trickle down her heel.

Sakura pulled her sock back on and hopped over to the nearest trashcan. Tacks, huh? That was unnecessarily cruel. What kind of sane person would want to stab the bottom of someone's foot with tacks? She turned her shoe over and shook it hard over the trashcan to ensure complete emptiness. Getting poked with sharp objects wasn't fun at all.

"Tacks, huh?" asked an inquisitive deep voice.

Sakura looked behind her to see the all too well known face of the school's number one idol, Uchiha Sasuke, who most girls fondly called 'Sasuke-kun.' His dark hair was sticking up messily in the back, as it always did, and his inky eyes looked vaguely sleepy. He was standing there with his hands in his pockets, one foot in front of the other, pausing for just a second to watch her.

Oh, what a wonderful day today was. The hottest boy in school—her crush, of a sort, because every girl that attended this damn school had a crush on him—had just caught the school's biggest freak dumping tacks out of her shoe. Just _great._

"Good morning, Uchiha-san," Sakura greeted him stiffly before slipping her harmless safe indoor shoe onto her foot.

"Morning," he replied carelessly, turning away. He was obviously not really concerned about her. Well, she was a no-name here, anyway. Even his reputation as a unprejudiced playboy didn't earn her any notice. The school idol continued on to where a group of his friends were waiting for him a few feet away. Sakura watched him go with envy. Must be nice having so many friends. She walked back over to the shoe lockers, and closed the little door to hers after pulling out the little piece of pink notepaper scrawled over with audaciously girly writing.

_Why don't you just die, Haruno?_the black ink read.

If she could, maybe she would. Sakura crumpled the paper in her fist before walking over to the trash can and flicking it in. This trashcan was visited at least twice a day. Sakura wondered if the day would ever come when she wouldn't have to empty her shoes or throw away threatening notes. But she knew that wish was utterly hopeless, because even though it was her fault, she did nothing to change it. With a sigh, she turned and headed to her homeroom.

The day passed by in its usual routine; homeroom, class, lunch, class. School was pretty boring; honestly, if it weren't for her mother's begging, she wouldn't have bothered attending high school, and would instead be working now.

.

.

_for better or worse_

_._

"Please at least finish high school, Sakura," her mother had said, grabbing Sakura's hands as she sat on the hospital cot. "I want you to achieve your dreams no matter what, because I couldn't. Don't worry about the money, okay? Kaa-san will do her best for you when I get discharged, so…"

.

.

_liar_

_._

_Idiot Okaa-san_, Sakura mentally snarled. She'd agreed to finishing high school, though, but she'd also taken up a part-time job after school. As a waitress, the pay was relatively good, and the manager was very kind to her. He often kindly gave her leftovers to eat, for which Sakura was eternally grateful. It was a bit sad that the manager pitied her so much, but she couldn't deny that it was a support to her otherwise unstable life.

Maybe her problem was that she was _too _pitiful. Sakura sighed and gazed out the window. Maybe that was why so many people disliked her at school, even when she never spoke to them. She was perpetually quiet and she probably had a depressing aura… Sakura's green eyes involuntarily flickered towards the dark-haired boy sitting in the desk beside her, his head resting over his arms on the desk, soundly asleep. Uchiha Sasuke probably thought so, too, huh? Especially after seeing her this morning—he must think she was a total loser.

Sakura turned back to the notebook sitting in front of her. Well, it didn't matter if he thought so. It wouldn't change anything, anyway.

If she wanted to make her school life better, she should just do it on her own—unfortunately, she had no will or energy to do that. She couldn't be hyperactive like forever cheerful Uzumaki Naruto, or flirtacious and bright like Yamanaka Ino. She couldn't even be cute and awkward like Hyuuga Hinata.

Sakura just didn't really know how to be happy.

She sighed again and just continued scratching neat, precise notes with her blue ballpoint pen as she listened to the sensei's lecture.

Today was just another ordinary day.

.

.

_but it became something extraordinary_

_._

It was a little after lunch period started that she nearly toppled over. She caught herself on the wall, and for a moment tried to regain her balance. A few people snickered as they saw her grasping the corner of the wall with trembling fingers.

"What a freak."

Sakura grit her teeth and slowly made her way to the infirmary.

.

.

_and the pieces fell in place_

_._

"You have a bit of a fever, Haruno-san."

"Is it bad…?" Sakura asked. She felt hot and sweaty and wanted to tear off her uniform right then.

"It's just from lack of sleep. You'll probably feel back to normal by tomorrow with some rest," the nurse said with a sympathetic smile. "You can go home today. Shall I call your parents?"

"Eh? No, I… Can I just sleep here?" Sakura asked. "I'll go home later…so…"

The nurse looked skeptical but didn't question her. "Alright. You can use the cot over there," she answered and gestured to the white bed closest to the far window. Sakura gratefully pulled herself onto it and rested her tired mind onto the soft pillow. It smelled pleasantly clean.

And she was asleep in an instant.

.

.

"_expect the unexpected"_

_._

"Hmm? What's happened this time?"

Sakura's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the nurse's happy voice. She heard the infirmary door slide shut as a boy replied, "I got a paper cut."

"Sasuke-kun, you really need to be more careful," the nurse scolded him, tearing open a bandaid. Sakura closed her eyes and turned over on the cot, trying to go back to sleep. "You mean somebody taped a metal paper cutter in your textbook, right? This cut is too deep to be just a paper cut. Don't try and fool an experienced nurse."

Sasuke didn't answer.

"There are problems with being too popular, I suppose," the nurse said with a sigh. "People get jealous."

There was a small pause. "I don't really know," Sasuke said.

"Hmmm." She obviously didn't believe his lie.

The school bell rang then, signaling the end of the school day. The three in the infirmary were quiet for a little while. _Ding, ding, dong._

"Haruno-san, are you awake now?" the nurse called suddenly.

Sakura froze. Why? Why, why, why call out now when she was lying sweaty in a cot and the hottest boy at school was standing right there? "Yes…" she answered reluctantly.

"I heard you moving, so I knew you were awake. You should head home now." The nurse walked over and pulled open the curtains to the bed. Sakura sat up and looked at her dazedly, then glanced at the boy who stood a little away.

He was looking at her with a blank expression and for a brief moment their eyes met before Sakura quickly looked away. She slumped her shoulders and rubbed her eyes. "Okay. Thank you for letting me sleep here…" she murmured.

"How are you going to get home?" the nurse asked. "You shouldn't walk with your fever."

"It'll be okay… I walked here this morning just fine."

"No, no, that's no good. Let's call a parent to pick you up."

Sakura blushed a little. "No, see, I live by myself, so…"

"Well, do you have money for a taxi, then?"

"Um… I think... No, I actually forgot to bring my wallet today... ah, I didn't eat lunch today." Mostly she was mumbling to herself. Her mind felt fuzzy and lost—she felt so incredibly tired now.

The nurse looked exasperated with her. "You need to care better care of yourself, Haruno-san," she said as she helped Sakura get off the cot. Sakura's feet touched the tiled floor uncertainly.

"I'll bring her home."

Both the nurse and Sakura turned and stared at the speaker with surprise blatant in their eyes.

Sasuke meanwhile looked unmoved. "Since we live next door to each other anyway," he added.

The nurse's eyebrows seemed to touch her hairline. "Oh?" she asked, grinning widely and looking at the two mischievously. She was a woman who loved to play matchmaker.

But Sakura was not so willing. "No, it's fine, it's okay. I'll be fine on my… own… ugh…" The nurse caught her before she almost fell as a rush of fatigue swept over her.

"Well, please take her home safely then, Sasuke-kun," the nurse said with a coy smile.

.

.

_from there, our stories began to synthesize_

_._

The route to the school gates was a highly embarrassing and nerve-wracking one. Sasuke had initially offered to piggyback her (under the nurse's recommendation) but Sakura had brusquely refused; in the end, they settled on her slinging one arm around his shoulders and he supported her with his arm around her waist, and in this fashion they carefully made their way through the school and on the road home.

The envious eyes of the girls they passed by made Sakura wish she could run away and hide in a dark corner and never return, but it was useless now; it really was too difficult to move by herself and it would have been an even worse situation to see her walking normally beside Sasuke, as if they were a couple walking home together—yes, at least she was obviously a person in need of help.

But it didn't help the fact she was touching him, and surely the girls would attack her for it.

"Why did you offer to... bring me home?" Sakura asked in a whisper.

"Isn't it normal to help someone who needs help?" he replied, not lowering his voice at all.

Sakrua wanted to bash her head against the wall. "Your rabid fangirls will murder me…"

"I'll protect you."

"…Eh." Did he think he was a knightly white prince or something? Still, Sakura couldn't deny she felt a little happy at his words. But what was with this? She was actually holding a conversation with the school idol of all people. Even though he lived next door to her own apartment, she had never really spoken to him before, even when they attended the same school. Only now, though, had that situation caused the two to hold a proper conversation with each other.

"You can put more weight on me," Sasuke said, and gripped Sakura's waist tighter. "You don't need to be so self conscious about it."

She flinched at his touch. "No, it's fine… I don't want to trouble you anymore."

He didn't reply, just pulled her arm around his neck tighter.

.

.

_his fingers were warm_

_._

Once they'd gotten out of the taxi and gotten up the stairs, she let go of Sasuke as soon as she could. "Thank you for helping me, Uchiha-san. I'll be fine from here on, so…" she said as she fished out her key from her school bag and slid it into the doorknob to her apartment.

Sasuke cocked his head just a tiny bit, conveying his disbelief. But he didn't argue, thankfully. "Whatever you say."

She opened the door. "And… thank you for helping me," she said quickly. Then she slipped inside, successfully escaping.

.

.

_thank you_

_._

Sakura woke up sweaty and disoriented. It was nighttime now; the light streaming in between her open blinds was the harsh glow of streetlights. She sat up slowly as she remembered what had happened today.

Right, she'd fallen asleep right after she'd gotten home…

"Ah." She suddenly remembered she needed to pay Uchiha Sasuke back for the taxi. She rose out of bed and walked over to her desk. She opened the top drawer and pulled out an envelope. She looked at it with tired eyes, and reread the short message scrawled over it.

_This should be enough for the month._

_Remember, do not contact me under any circumstances._

The writing was messy and obviously rushed. Sakura sighed and opened the envelope. "Thank you, Otou-san," she murmured sarcastically as she took out 1000 yen's worth. She put the envelope back in the drawer before turning and heading to the front door.

She slipped on her shoes and walked the short distance to her neighbor's front door. She lifted her hand to the door and knocked hesitantly knocked once. She waited a second, but she didn't hear anything; she knocked again. Nothing. Maybe he'd gone out for dinner? Her eyes drifted down to the doorknob. She reached for it slowly, expecting it to be locked.

It turned in her hand and the door creaked open. Sakura bit her lip and, unable to help herself, peeked inside with wary green eyes.

.

.

_after all, curiosity is a powerful thing_

_._

The apartments had the same general set up; the front door opened to a small living space, which connected to a kitchen and bathroom on the left.

In the corner of Uchiha Sasuke's apartment, where Sakura kept an armchair in hers, was a navy sofa. There sat Sasuke, his navy shirt thrown on the floor beside the sofa, and a red-headed girl lay sprawled across his lap. Sakura recognized her—she was Karin, a classmate. She was still in the Konoha high school uniform, her shirt completely unbuttoned, revealing her lacy black bra and voluminous chest. Sasuke's lips were on her throat, his fingers slipping slightly into the bottom edge of the girl's bra. Her eyes were closed, her expression delighted.

Time seemed to stop for an inmeasureable moment. Sakura stared at the indecent scene with pure shock, suddenly reminded of Sasuke's status as the Ultimate Playboy of Konoha. Then Sasuke's dark eyes lifted and met hers.

Sakura immediately flushed red. "I'm so sorry!" she said with a small shriek, and whirled around and hurried to the door.

When her hand closed on the doorknob, she paused. It was impossible, but…

She turned back around. Sasuke's eyes were still on her, inky and emotionless. "Are you… a vampire?" she whispered, the 1000 yen crushed in her fist as she gazed at the pair with wide green eyes. Karin wasn't moving at all. Sasuke lifted his mouth from the girl's neck. He licked the lips that were covered in the tell-tale crimson slowly, almost teasingly.

"I guess you found out my secret," he said, his voice very soft and husky—a gentle tone every other girl that attended Konoha would have loved to hear.

Sakura found it absolutely terrifying.


	2. puzzle

[A/N] Still dedicated to Tara. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

2} puzzle

.

.

_from the start, it was a dreamlike reality_

.

Sasuke's smile was frightening. "Do I scare you?" he asked, and gently moved the unconscious Karin to the other end of the sofa. He rose to his feet and walked up to Sakura until only a few inches separate the two. Sakura met his eyes—they were a faint scarlet, tinted with the lust for blood.

"Yes," she answered in a whisper. "You scare me."

He put his left hand on the back of her head and his right on her shoulder. "But you're not running away, either," he murmured, and leaned towards her throat. His tongue extended and Sakura winced as she felt him lick her neck.

"Is this why you bring girls over almost every night?" she asked quietly.

He pressed his lips to her throat. "Mm."

"Then is the whole playboy thing a farce?"

He pulled away from her neck and looked at her. His red-tinted gaze was intense; Sakura pursed her lips but didn't cast her eyes away. "Of course," he said, taking her face in his hands and tilting his head a tiny bit, as if preparing to kiss her. "I need blood after all."

"That's such a cruel thing to do," she whispered. It made sense, now; the whole reason he had acted as an indiscriminating playboy was to seduce girls of all kinds to come home with him, where he could bite them in privacy. "Lying to those girls…"

He leaned in a little closer until she could feel the heat of his breath on her cheek. "It's necessary for my survival, you know?"

Was this an ability he possessed as a vampire? She felt utterly captivated by his low voice, almost lusty, even—his every word seemed to make her melt from the inside. Sakura could feel her cheeks burning, but she fought against the overpowering heat, trying to keep her mind under control. She hated being manipulated. "Is this what you do to all of them? You whisper like this… and make them faint, and steal their blood."

"Correct," he said into her ear. It tickled.

"You're not even giving them what they want," she said, as his lips returned to her throat again.

"Like I said, it's necessary. Do you think I actually want to have sex every night? I don't want to fuck every girl that comes, I just want their blood." It tingled where he spoke, his lips moving against the sensitive bare skin of her neck.

Sakura didn't have the energy to get embarrassed by his frank speech. Her fever was still running, and she was tired. "Why do you have to do that, play around with those girls and lie to them? Why not just get a single partner?"

He pulled away and closed his eyes. He dropped his hands dropping to his sides. "That's the ideal, I suppose. But I didn't feel like revealing my nature to anybody… especially not a stupid girl." He ran a hand through his hair, a graceful gesture. "Rumors spread fast… I can't trust anybody."

They were quiet for a moment. Then Sakura reached up and put her hands on his chest. His bare skin was warm and she could feel his tight muscles under her fingers. "Let me…" Sakura looked up at him. He opened his eyes and the two gazed at each other as she whispered, "Let me be your partner."

He leaned in towards her. "Do you know what you're saying?" he asked, his voice almost a growl. It was sad for Sakura to admit to herself, but he was… sexy. Everything about this boy in front of her was overtly sensual, from his naked chest to the charcoal eyes that gazed at her.

"I know exactly what I'm saying," she said, trying to block out lusty thoughts. "You can use me however you want…Just don't play around girls anymore, I hate that the most."

"So Haruno Sakura-san is actually a stubborn person, hmm?" He put his hands on her cheeks; the fingers were cool against her hot skin. "I didn't know that. Frankly, I know nothing about you except that you live next to me and you scored number one on the school entrance exam."

Sakura didn't give any indication of an answer.

"Why are you protecting those girls? All they do is bully you, isn't that right?"

She still didn't deign to give him a reply.

Sasuke took advantage of her silence and pressed his forehead to hers. "Can I kiss you?" he suddenly asked, and his lips were so close she could smell a faint cherry scent—probably of Karin's chapstick.

"No," she replied bluntly, and pulled his hands off her face. "Get a girlfriend to do that with. But I'll give you blood, so don't… don't trick any more girls. Please."

"Are you the type of person who loves justice?" he asked, sticking his hands in his jeans pocket and looking at her inquisitively.

"Not really. I just hate men that play around with girls," she said, and turned away. She put her hand on the doorknob. "Anyway, I'll… come by tomorrow, I guess, to give you blood…"

His slammed his hand against the door, so close that his arm brushed her hair. Sakura was trapped between the door and the warm, bare chest that pressed lightly against her back. She could feel his body heat through her thin shirt. "Sakura," he said into her ear, sounding impatient.

She grit her teeth. "Please don't call me so familiarly, Uchiha-san," she said, the words taut with agitation.

He blatantly ignored her protest. "Why do you hate guys like me so much, _Sakura?_" he asked, his deep voice making her shiver. "Why do you cringe when I touch you? It's like you're scared… You're making me curious."

Her hand tightened on the doorknob as she answered quietly, "Because it was guys like you that ruined my life."

"Is that so…" He moved his hand from the door to the top of her head.

His condescending patting was annoying. She slapped his hand off as her temper rose to a teetering high. "Stop treating me like a dog, Uchiha-san."

He dropped his hand. "My bad," he said with a smirk that had no apology in it whatsoever.

Sakura opened the door. "I'll come tomorrow night," she said as she walked out of her neighbor's apartment. "…After dinner." She shut the door behind her and hurried back to the bed in her apartment, where she could lie quietly and process everything that had just occurred. It was too much to understand, just then—it felt like her mind was going to overload and break down.

But the ultimate fact was that Uchiha Sasuke, of all people, was a vampire, and she was now his blood-offering partner.

.

.

_but a willing one indeed_

_._

Sasuke chuckled as she slammed the door behind her. She was such an interesting girl. He'd never really paid much attention to her, but lately she had been catching his eye. It wasn't that he was attracted to her, but rather, he was interested in why his next door neighbor acted the way she did sometimes.

She was quiet at school, and didn't seem to have any friends. It wasn't like she was ugly or anything—actually, she was quite the beauty—but she didn't seem to have any range of emotions. Sasuke had never seen her smile or laugh during school, and he'd assumed she was just a person who was obsessed with studying and tended to remain indifferent to the world. Even though she was bullied at school, like the incident this morning with the tacks, she hadn't once cried or even tried to seek revenge. Yet tonight she had actually seemed angry at him, and had admitted to being scared.

She had emotions after all.

It had also surprised him how she hadn't reacted much to the way he'd teased her, even going so far as to lick her neck and kiss her cheek, all done to see if he could fluster her since he had assumed she was innocent with sexuality in general. She hadn't seemed surprised; rather, she'd looked disgusted and uncomfortable. She hadn't seemed fazed at all when he'd asked to kiss her. Sasuke was sure now that Haruno Sakura must've had some less than innocent experiences with men, and her last comment made it an almost definite: "Because it was guys like you that ruined my life."

Perhaps she'd dated a man who was loose with women before? Or maybe she'd dated someone who was two-timing her? Whatever had happened, it must've had a big effect on her life. What kind of guy would've done something to hurt her? Why?

All the questions he thought of just led to more, making Sasuke more and more curious. There were a lot of mysteries surrounding his next door neighbor, that much was sure. With their new agreement, however, perhaps he'd discover some answers as he spent more time with her when she came and offered her blood.

Sasuke lifted his fingers to his lips and walked back over to Karin. He didn't feel like continuing with her; after having gotten to close to Sakura, he'd lost his appetite for anybody else right then.

Sakura's blood was absolutely _tempting._ It had taken all his willpower not to tear into her enticing throat. Tomorrow night he would get a taste of it, and for that, he was actually rather excited. Haruno Sakura… From now, he would be sure to keep an eye on her.

After all, she was an alluring new game for him to play.

.

.

_but it became something so much more_

_._

They hadn't spoken the next morning, even when they passed each other at the shoe lockers this morning, so Sakura was surprised to see a tiny folded piece of paper land perfectly in the center of her desk, in the middle of class. She looked to her right, where her only desk neighbor sat. Uchiha Sasuke had his head on the desk again, surrounded by his slender arms, but his eyes were open and he was smirking at her.

Sakura unfolded the note and read it with curious eyes. _Give me your phone number_, was written in his sharp-edged scrawl. Sakura turned and glared at the note's writer. He was still smirking.

And hiding fangs under those sensual lips.

Sakura scribbled the digits on the other side of the paper and flicked it back to him when the teacher's back was facing her. Sasuke stealthily slipped it in his pocket. Then he closed his eyes and proceeded to fall asleep again. How did he get in the top five for every exam when all he did was sleep? Honestly, it was frustrating to see his name so close to hers on the list hung on the general school board. Sakura was always number one, but she actually worked hard to earn that spot.

She turned her attention back to the class. No way would she ever lose to him when it came to school and academics. This was the only area in which she absolutely refused to lose to him, because it was the only thing at which she was better. If he took that away, she would have nothing left.

.

.

_not that he cared_

_._

Sakura pulled on her waitress uniform slowly, her eyes rimmed with noticeable dark circles. She was so tired. Tired of everything. Tired of working after school every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday until 8 at night. Tired of studying until late at night to ensure perfect grades. Tired of having the pay the hospital the _goddamn bill _from her mother's time there. Tired of feeling rejected and abandoned by every person she ever knew.

Her cell phone buzzed. Sakura flipped it open and saw she'd received a text message from an unknown number.

_Where are you?_

_PS. If you haven't figured it out, this is Uchiha Sasuke._

Sakura flipped it shut and tossed it back in her bag. Why the hell did he care? Was he that hungry for blood? Or was he toying with her?

She headed out with a plastered smile and began her three-hour shift.

.

.

_it was a bad idea to ignore him_

.

Sakura headed over to his apartment right after dropping off the leftovers the manager had given her today—roast chicken and a bunch of fries. It would be a happy dinner. At least, it would be if she didn't get her appetite spoiled by this dreaded visit. She politely knocked on his front door.

And waited.

And waited.

She decided to barge in, and once she had stepped in, saw that he was sitting on the sofa, texting somebody nonchalantly. He looked up, smirked, and slid his phone shut. He then proceeded to pat the sofa cushion, the spot beside where he sat on the end.

Sakura just stared at him, nonplussed.

"Come here," he said, a little impatiently.

"Well, you don't need to strip me, right?" Sakura asked, staying still. She had no desire to go where Karin had lain just the night before. She would not be humiliated in the same manner as the red-headed girl, never. "Why should I get on a sofa?"

"I have a question for you, too. Why didn't you reply immediately to my little message, _Sakura-chan_?" Sasuke asked her, his voice soft but menacing.

Sakura felt a chill run through her. "I didn't see it until now."

"Liar."

She made no comment.

"_Come here, Sakura._"

What was this…? Sakura felt her body begin to move, as if under his control. She fought against the command, willing herself to stay still. "What the hell are you doing to me?" she yelled.

He just smiled. "_Sit beside me and give me your blood._"

Her body thrust forwards and she lost all self control. Her legs moved forward and seconds later Sakura found herself sitting next to the school idol. He pried her high T-shirt neckline away and pressed his lips to her skin, breathing in her scent.

Somehow, Sakura had to admit to herself it was very, very sexy... but her heart was screaming for him to stop.

"I'm going to bite you, Sakura," he murmured, his lips brushing against her neck, attempting to stimulate her. His kisses made her skin tingle, but she stubbornly remained silent. "But are you really sure about this?" he asked her quietly. "You're sure you want to be my partner?"

"I am," she answered.

He then opened his mouth, and in the corner of her eyes, Sakura could see the sharp fangs protruding from between his lips. She felt her body go numb at the sight of the pointed teeth. No wonder he never smiled while showing his teeth.

She closed her eyes, too afraid to watch. He was really going to bite her. Would it hurt? Would it feel good? Was this even sanitary?

But all thought was lost once his teeth impaled her throat.

.

.

_it hurt_

.

"Reply promptly when I send you a message, Sakura, or I will punish you." His little smile was sadistic. "I can make my bite even more painful than that."

She didn't refuse, her hand pressed against her neck and her breathing shallow. It was the most painful thing she had ever experienced—even worse than losing her virginity. She felt like her soul had been ripped into pieces.

.

.

_until now, that had been the most painful of all_

.

Yes, her appetite was now very, very ruined.

.

.

_all thanks to him_

.

Sasuke wasn't satisfied.

He was hoping to go further, dig a little deeper and see how Haruno Sakura reacted to his touches. He wanted to see how he could hurt her, plague her with fear of him. If he'd wanted to, he could've used his ability of control to force her to submit to him.

But that wasn't fun. He would do this without any advantageous abilities.

How long would Sakura last, he wondered, a small smile on his lips.

How he loved to toy with her.

.

.

_there was no right or wrong with him_

.

_Come tonight._

Sakura glared at the little screen.

_I'll come at 9, _she replied bitterly. Today was Thursday, another day of work, and she was walking over to the restaurant right now. Did he really need blood everyday? Her hand automatically reached up and pressed against the punctured area of her throat. Last night had been incredibly painful. She hadn't known a vampire's bite would hurt as much as it did.

Her phone vibrated with his reply. _Come earlier, _the message said.

Sakura gave him a terse answer. _No._

_Reason being?_

_Work._

_What work?_

_Nothing to do with you._

_Everything to do with me. You're my partner. As my partner, I expect you to tell me any information regarding you._

Sakura almost threw her cell phone onto the concrete sidewalk, but she just let out an angry sigh and answered him. It was her fault that she was in this situation, and she would deal with it maturely. _I'm a waitress._

_Where?_

_Leafy Diner._

He didn't reply after that, and Sakura was glad.

.

.

_a bad idea to tell him anything_

.

"He's so hot!"

"I know! Is he a high schooler? I don't mind a younger guy, personally."

"Ohh, who cares how old he is? I want to take a picture of him."

Sakura tried to block out the squeals of the other waitresses as she did her homework on the little table, but it was to no avail: her ears heard every word. This was supposed to be her relaxing five-minute break before her last 30-minute shift until she could go home.

"Okay, I'll ask him what he wants to drink," one said, giggling. "Then you can go next."

The other nearly pushed her out the door. "Go, Haruka! Get his name!"

Sakura took advantage of the sudden serenity to finish the last problem. Done. Completed. Now she had nothing to worry about tonight and she could go early. Oh, right, she had to visit him. But still, after that she could just take a bath and go to sleep.

Haruka came back with a frown.

"What happened?" the other asked.

"He said his name's Uchiha Sasuke and he…" She turned to point an accusing finger at Sakura. "Wants to talk to you, apparently."

Sakura really wanted to punch something. "Me, you say," she said, pointing at herself.

Haruka sighed. "He said he's your boyfriend and you're the only one for him… or something. Is he for real?" Her brown eyes were accusing and jealous.

"The damn liar!" Sakura vehemently shouted. Then she slumped her shoulders, embarrassed, a blush adorning her cheeks. She was surprised at her own outburst. "…Sorry. He's… he's not my boyfriend. Not at all."

The waitress seemed to suddenly glimmer again as she turned back to the brunette. "Then we have hope!" she cried, taking hold of the other waitress's hands, who was grinning back.

The manager appeared from the kitchen, as if right on cue. "Sakura-chan, can you start now?"

"Yes," Sakura said, rising to her feet and tying her black apron on.

Haruka smiled at her. "_I'll_ take care of the hottie, okay?"

"I'm fine with that," Sakura replied.

Haruka smiled briefly before turning and swinging her hips as she went to fill a glass of water for her charming new customer.

.

.

_only she didn't "take care" of him at all_

.

Did the damn bastard really have to stare so openly?

Sakura could feel his dark gaze on her as she went around, taking orders and handing the customers their food. Her cheeks had a permanent, defiant blush from his quiet scrutiny, and she disliked the feel of being constantly watched.

Why wouldn't he just _leave_? Was he really a sadist? Did he enjoy tormenting her like this? And was he really going to stay and watch her until she got let off?

Sakura sometimes overheard his conversations with the blonde or brunette waitresses when she waited on a table near them. They were mostly one-sided, she noticed, and the waitresses were not doing a good job of keeping the conversation impersonal. They were blatantly flirting as well, bending a little lower than necessary to expose their bust or meeting his eyes and giving him their most seductive smile.

All of which, Sakura was amused to see, Sasuke took no notice.

Then she realized she was watching them.

She quickly turned away and searched for a needing table.

.

.

_am I in denial?_

_._

"Why did you come?" she asked him, as he followed her out the door.

"I wanted to see where my partner worked," he said evenly. "You're not touched at all that I'm walking you home?"

"We're next door neighbors, why wouldn't we walk together?" Though they never had before.

His dark eyes were unreadable as he said, "This is the first time, though."

Their thoughts were in sync—creepy. Sakura dropped her gaze to the asphalt, having nothing to say.

"How long have you been working?"

Sakura looked up again. "Why do you care?" she asked him suspiciously.

"You're my partner, aren't you?" was his reply.

She stared at the road again. "Since last spring."

"And since when did you start living alone?"

She hesitated. He was beginning to edge into very private, personal territory. "Last winter," she answered.

"So just half a year, huh?" He was gazing into some unseen distance, looking pleased about something. They walked quietly for a while, their footsteps echoing in the quietness of the empty street.

"You're not… going to ask about my family?" Sakura inquired, green eyes focused on the cracks of the road they walked on.

"Nope."

She whipped her head to gape at him with surprise. "So you're not a total bastard after all," she commented, mostly to herself.

His eyes seemed to darken. "I would hate to be asked about my family, personally."

"Worry not, as I have zero interest in you," Sakura told him drily.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Even though I was voted number one most popular in our year?" he asked her, smirking arrogantly.

Sakura suddenly felt pissed. Okay, so she did have a little crush on him, but that was based on appearance and appearance only. His sadistic personality was a total turn-off. "No," she told him.

"I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from Little Miss No-name here," he said tauntingly.

She didn't take the bait. "Exactly," she answered him smoothly. He looked at her questioningly then, probably having expected she would argue. But Sakura knew it was the truth, so there was no point in fighting it, really.

She'd long given up on trying to be someone who could fit in, and accepted herself for who she was.

"I get the feeling you don't try hard enough," Sasuke said then, his voice soft.

"As if I haven't already? I've learned my lesson," Sakura replied. "And I've accepted it."

.

.

_it was too late, anyway_

.

But the girl Sasuke regarded before him wasn't the type of person who could be an outcast. She was pretty and genial, not a girl who was ugly or horribly antisocial. There wasn't a normal reason for her to be avoided so much as she was in school.

Sasuke had a feeling there was something more to this girl than what he saw walking beside him.

He would find her out—she was his game, after all, and even if she was a puzzle, he would solve her.


	3. toy

[A/N] Just wanna give a shout-out to my wonderful reviewers: EmoSakura95, PockyPaint, ILoveSxS, mistressinwaiting, Chiere, xxxmoonwillowxxx, Lillianpotterwish, rubypetra, animeandvampslover18, LEGNA, Dark Shining Light, AllAboutEnvy, 7HeartAndSoul7, RelevanyXD, and tenshi no koi.

Thank you SOOOOO much! :D You make me happy. Very, very happy.

Also, some of you are probably thinking (even if you don't say it) that Sasuke's a bit OOC, yes? There actually is a reason behind that. Worry not, glimpses of the angsty Sasuke we all love _will_ appear eventually. Sakura's past will also be revealed bit by bit—so keep an eye out for developments (including those of the romantic kind, bwahaha) in future chapters. Thanks for reading!

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

3} toy

.

.

_sometimes I find myself wondering how you feel_

.

"Haruno-san," a black-haired girl called out sweetly, an innocent smile on her lips. She stood at the doorway, one hand on the edge of the sliding door and the other on her slim hip.

Sakura stared at her. She'd already gotten thirteen threatening notes in her shoe locker today and she didn't feel up to dealing with a more physical threat just then. "Do I know you?" she asked, green eyes narrowed. She tried to walk past her to get to the hallway, but the girl grabbed her sleeve.

"Please come with me for a little bit," she said. With a vice-like grip, she half dragged Sakura through the school until Sakura found herself standing in the backyard of the school with a group of girls surrounding her, their skirts barely long enough to cover their underwear.

"Any reason for this?" Sakura inquired, leaning against the brick wall. She gazed at each of them in turn. There was six of them in all, each with pursed lips and crossed arms. They were all pretty skinny-looking—if they were planning to beat her up, Sakura knew it wouldn't be too painful. She could probably fight back and walk away without too much damage.

The black-haired girl, seemingly the leader, stepped up to her and pressed her face up to Sakura's, so close Sakura felt wary they might accidentally kiss. "Haruno-san, we've been noticing how much of Sasuke-kun's attention you've been stealing lately," the girl said.

Sakura's hand curled into a fist. _God dammit_, why did that bastard always have to bother her even when he wasn't physically present! Well, she had been wondering why the past two days had been peaceful. After the whole "taking her home" incident, she'd assumed the girls would bombard her the next morning with violent questions and maybe even a few fists, but surprisingly the only thing that happened to her was isolation. None of the fangirls made eye contact with her, and nobody spoke to her—but they never did, anyway, so she didn't have a problem with it.

So they'd been planning a big attack all this time for Friday, were they? Sakura mentally sighed. _Let's get this over with, please._

The black-haired girl grabbed the front of Sakura's uniform. Sakura gaped at the grasping hand. Her precious uniform! It was a damn expensive one, too! _Dear fucking_… If it got ruined, she would pummel the bitch and steal her wallet—

The leader of the gangster fangirls interrupted her livid mental monologue. "You know what he's been saying lately?" she questioned, her voice pitched low and dangerous.

"No idea," Sakura replied honestly. Why would she care what the bastard did or said when she wasn't there? _And let go of the damn shirt!_

"He said," she snarled, "that you were the only girl for him!" She pushed her fist so hard Sakura's back was pressed hard against the wall. "Since when did you become his girlfriend and what tricks did you use to seduce him, _huh_?"

"_What?_" Sakura was just as angry as they were. _WHY DID HE SAY SOMETHING SO DAMN USELESS? _She grit her teeth as she thought how satisfying it would be to punch her next door neighbor's perfect face. Ahh, seeing him cry would be nice… A divine punishment from the heavens. He really deserved no better.

"Just 'cause you're number one in the exams, don't you dare think you deserve him! You don't suit him at all! It was okay when he would at least be everyone's, we could all deal with that," the girl continued angrily. "But now he's suddenly only focusing on you? _What did you do to him?_"

Sakura put her hands up, a gesture of surrender. "To be frank, I think he's toying with me."

The girls all stared at her. "Hmm?" asked the black-haired girl, cocking her head. Her anger seemed to dissipate a little bit.

Sakura quickly continued explaining her theory. "It's his way of bullying me." Sakura met the girl's eyes straight on, trying to show she was saying the truth. "Do you honestly think someone like me could get Uchiha-san's attention?" _We didn't even speak up until three days ago on Tuesday when I was sick._

"Ne, Ami, I don't really think they're together," one of the other girls spoke up hesitantly.

"But Sasuke-kun said—" The black-haired girl began to counter, but the other interrupted her.

"I think she's saying the truth. He's just toying with her." She shrugged. "You really think _he_ would get with _her_?"

_He is definitely toying with me, _Sakura bitterly thought. _And he thinks it's fun to do so._

Ami's shoulders slumped. "I know. It doesn't make sense. But _God_, I'm just so angry!" She stepped away from Sakura. Sakura wondered vaguely if _she _should be angry. In the end, they were saying she was ugly—not fit for the school idol. "Do you like him?" Ami asked, looking at Sakura with tired eyes.

Sakura shook her head. "I swear. I don't like him." It was the truth. Right now, she actually thought she hated him. "I have never even held a decent conversation with him before."

"Why would he say you're the only girl for him?" Ami's question sounded desperate. "He hardly even talks to us anymore, and won't let us visit…"

_Oh. _Sakura finally realized what was happening. _So he really isn't playing around with girls anymore… He kept our promise. _"I don't know." _It's not like I can go around saying he's a vampire and promised to make me his only partner. But why would he say I'm the only one for him? I never said he couldn't flirt with other girls._

Ami turned away. "Let's go," she said sullenly, and the other five girls followed her back into the school.

Sakura sighed once the girls had disappeared from sight and straightened her uniform shirt. The white oxford cloth was a bit crinkled, but it wasn't too noticeable. The little black tie seemed okay, too. She would do her laundry today, she decided, and iron her uniform. And maybe get revenge on the bastard tonight, too.

Why did he have to say such useless things? Didn't he realize it hurt her too?

.

.

_questions without answers_

.

Sakura sat quietly at her desk and tried to focus on the lesson, but she found her eyes glancing towards the right again and again. He was sleeping again, his head resting on his arms. So vampires slept too, huh? What else did they do?

With her chin resting on her hand, she gazed out the window. She hadn't really paid much attention to Uchiha Sasuke before. Sure, she sometimes caught glimpses of his usual life before discovering his secret because he was her neighbor at both home and school, but never before had she been this curious about his life. How did he become a vampire? Where was his family? Why did he live alone? What kinds of food did he like? Did he even eat? Everything about him was shrouded in mystery.

He was growing on her just a little bit. Sakura sighed. Was she so pathetic that she had grown dependent on his existence in her life? They'd been on speaking terms since that fateful Tuesday afternoon, and she was grateful for it—because of that, she could convince herself that even she was a normal person now, at least enough to hold a conversation with somebody.

The last person she'd really talked to was the silver-haired man who had saved her life a few months ago.

She'd come here to Konoha under his advice instead of continuing on in her old escalator school, where the middle schoolers all immediately graduated up into its attached high school without having to take an entrance exam. Her intention was to begin a new life, escaping from her past and starting anew, but even with a transfer and moving into a new apartment, she was still afraid of connecting with other people.

She hadn't even really spoken to anybody at school until Sasuke had forced his existence into her life.

Uchiha Sasuke was a bastard through and through, cruel and toying and most of all, incredibly selfish. But Sakura couldn't deny she _was_ just a tiny bit thankful for his attention, even if it was annoying to have his numerous and insane fangirls threatening her.

Ha, maybe she and Sasuke could even be friends.

Sakura quickly covered her mouth, trying to smother a chuckle that arose in her throat at the ridiculous thought, because it really was preposterous to think of herself and the cold-hearted bastard linking arms and skipping down Cherry Lane. Still, it was nice having someone to talk to, even if he really couldn't be considered anything remotely close to a friend. That was a luxury she had been deprived of for months.

She'd missed it.

.

.

_but how did he feel?_

.

Sasuke watched the girl sitting on his left between the strands of his dark hair, his eyes wide awake. His lips wore a small, satisfied smirk.

Her expression kept changing every time she glanced over at him, and it was incredibly amusing to watch.

First, she looked over with murderous intent. He could almost feel chills run through him at the sight of those narrowed green eyes and gritted teeth. A bit later, she looked frustrated, her pink lips pursed. The next, pained, like she was hurt, and then wistful, like she was hoping for something or was curious. After that, the next look she gave him was of embarrassment, and then she started softly laughing, her slim hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

Sasuke wondered what in the world she could be laughing about when looking at him like he was a zoo animal—and he realized it was the first time he'd heard her ever laugh, even if it was a smothered chuckle like this.

Then her gaze softened and she… Sasuke had to stare at her for a moment to make sure. Yes, her lips were curved at the corners. Haruno Sakura was smiling. Really, she was such an interesting girl.

And she had quite the pretty smile.

.

.

_all of which belonged to him_

.

"You're Sakura-chan, right?"

Sakura looked at the blond boy with irritation. She was tired and she wanted to go home, and here he was, keeping her after school. She was starving, too—lunch period had been spent dealing with more angry fangirls, and not once had she been able to interrogate Uchiha Sasuke about his intentions of claiming her to be his 'only one' or whatever.

So her reply was bitter. "I am… So what?" They had been in the same class for about an entire term and Uzumaki Naruto, the class clown who literally knew _everybody_, still had yet to be sure of her name? What a blow to her nonexistent pride.

But really, did he need to press his face so near to hers? Why did everybody feel a need to peer at her so closely lately? They were probably comparing her to the flawless Uchiha.

"So you're Sasuke's girlfriend, huh?" Naruto said.

"_Excuse me_?" Sakura asked in a near growl. Her green gaze become a furious glare. "I am _not_ his girlfriend."

"Really? He said you were the only girl for him."

"He is clearly toying with me."

Naruto chuckled as he pulled his face away, standing up straight. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"I _know _who you are." She wanted to go home already! Why wouldn't he leave her alone?

He cocked his head, looking at her questioningly with blue eyes. He seemed to be pondering something for a second, then broke into a smile. "I'm also Sasuke's best friend."

This was new information. "That bastard is friends with someone like you?" Sakura inquired suspiciously. She'd never suspected—ahh, but she did see them together often with a set group of other people.

"Yep! Crazy, right?" Naruto put his arms behind his head in a casual position. "We used to hate each other, but now we get along great! Well, I've been wondering who his 'only girl' was, and I found out you're in our class! I had no idea."

Sakura gazed at the blond, gauging his honesty. He was actually being sincere and meant no malice. Sakura decided she didn't hate him, though he seemed to be on the… "unintellectual" side of the population. "I'm a quiet presence, generally," she said, staying friendly.

"Mm, yeah! You're really quiet, but you're really pretty." Sakura hardly took notice of the compliment as Naruto grinned widely. "I wonder why he took a liking to you? He suddenly decided to stop playing around and when we asked him why, he just said there was only one girl for him now who shoved some sense into him."

"Really." Sakura had already heard the story about five times now, though in rather harsher words than this version.

"I think he fell in love with you," Naruto said, one finger held up. His expression was dead serious. "What other reason could there be?"

Sakura just blinked at him mutely for a moment. This boy really was kind of stupid. She replied, "I want to know why he said that, too."

"Then ask away," a voice answered from behind her. Sakura whipped around, startled, to see that Uchiha Sasuke stood behind her, in the flesh, his hands in his pockets and a perfect smirk on his lips.

"Uchiha-san, why the _hell_ did you say I'm the only girl for you?" she questioned him, her arms crossing as her green eyes narrowed.

"Because it's true, isn't it?" He stepped closer and bended down a little so their eyes were on the same level. "…Sakura."

How dare he say her name so familiarly? "I don't appreciate it. I had several girls coming up to me and questioning my relationship with you."

"We're lovers," Sasuke told her smoothly. Naruto's eyes widened at the calm statement.

"Never," was her vehement reply. The blond's expression became confused.

Sasuke leaned closer and whispered in her ear. "Generally, that is what _partners_ are, Sakura," he told her so softly she almost couldn't understand the words. "We're connected deep inside, you know... because we're 'partners'."

During this quiet exchange, Naruto glanced between the two with frantic blue eyes. "What's going on, guys? So she's your girlfriend or what?"

Sasuke pulled away. "Sakura doesn't want to be my girlfriend, apparently."

"Like hell I would." Sakura grit her teeth together. "Don't butt into my life more than is necessary, Uchiha-san."

"But you are my _possession_," he said, putting one hand on her chin. He forced her jaw to tilt up towards the ceiling and put a finger from his other hand on her throat, where the bite marks from last night were hidden by a bandage. He slid the tip of his finger against it and she shivered at his touch. "Please remember that… Sakura, or I'll be angry."

She glared at him coldly in response, green eyes flickering with anger. The skin under the bandage tingled.

"Oi—Sasuke, I can't believe you! You gave her a hickey!" Naruto was flustered as he looked at his classmate's neck. "No wonder she hates you! That's so embarrassing!"

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke said, pulling away and giving the poor boy an exasperated look. "She took it willingly, after all."

His mouth dropped open. "So you guys really _are_—"

Sakura cut the blond off before he could say anything more to ignite her rapidly rising temper. "We are _not _together," she told Naruto viciously. She had no desire to have a boyfriend or fall in love, not when just being in a boy's presence made her uncomfortable, and she certainly didn't want a relationship with _that_ bastard. She grabbed her school bag and hurried towards the door of the classroom, hoping to escape before another word could be passed between them.

Apparently God was not listening to her prayers. Sakura cursed as the sound of her next door neighbor's voice trailed after her. "I'll see you tonight, Sakura," Sasuke called. She could_ hear_ the damned arrogant smirk he was wearing in his voice. He was purposefully making everybody misunderstand their secret compromise, and it was bringing her attention that she didn't want.

He probably enjoyed watching how she handled this situation, seeing her struggle and grow frustrated, as if she were a toy for him to play and enjoy. He was using her for his own entertainment.

This was why she hated men.

.

.

_the damn sadist_

.

She didn't bothering knocking this time and instead just let herself inside.

Sasuke was waiting for her, his hands in the pockets of his jeans as he leaned against the wall. His simple gray t-shirt displayed his slender build, but his arms were rugged with lean muscles. He looked up at her with arrogant inky eyes and strode over to her confidently.

He really was beautiful, Sakura found herself thinking as she gazed at his approaching figure. But his personality was so cruel and selfish, it was really such a pity.

"Don't you have better things to be doing on a Friday night?" she questioned him cynically, eyeing him as if he were a pile of rotting apples.

"I should be asking you that," was his reply as he leaned in close to her. He took hold of her neck and pressed his lips to it. "Sakura," he said, his lips moving against her skin as he spoke. "I have a question for you."

She waited for him to continue. Apparently he actually wanted her approval. "Well, what?"

It tickled, the feel of his moving kiss, as his lips formed the words: "Do you hate me?"

It took a moment for her to create a response. "No," she answered, her heart beating a bit faster from his cool touch. "But I don't like you, either."

Without another word, his teeth sunk into the soft flesh and he began hungrily devouring her blood. Sakura bit down on her lip to stop herself from groaning. It hurt, but not nearly as much as the first time. He was going easy on her today, and she was grateful for it. The bite didn't seem to infect or anything, either—it was always a clean puncture, and despite some initial swelling, it quickly relieved itself and all evidence of the nightly incident became almost non-existent within an hour, though Sakura was starting a habit of sticking one from her numerous collection of bandaids over it.

Because he always purposefully left a hickey there.

Sakura suddenly wondered how it would feel to impale fangs into her next door neighbor's milky skin and leave a bright red kiss-mark there herself. If she became a vampire… but was it possible to become one? Had Sasuke been changed into or born as one?

She decided to risk asking, if only to relieve her curiosity. "How did you become a vampire?" she asked him in a whisper, careful to keep the words even and smooth. She didn't want to show him any instance of her weakness, especially not when he was the one in control of her throat's pain.

He pulled his lips away and looked at her, his mouth covered with her scarlet essence. "Do you want to become one?" he asked, midnight-colored eyes impossible to read.

"That's not it," she replied. "But I won't become a vampire even if you bite me?"

He smirked. "You're worried about that?"

"I just don't want to become something like you," she said. Like a parasite.

He wiped his crimson-tinged lips with his hand. Sakura almost wanted to laugh—the smeared blood resembled badly put-on lipstick. "We can choose to release venom from our teeth or not," he answered. He gazed into her eyes. "If I wanted, I could turn you into a vampire at any given moment, just by biting you long enough. Usually I just puncture your skin, but if I hold my teeth to your neck and release the venom… you'll become a monster like me."

"Really," she replied in a monotone.

That was not the reaction Sasuke expected or wanted. He took her face in his hands and looked at her with menacing dark eyes. "I wish you would act a little more scared of me, Sakura," he said, his voice smooth and seductive. "You don't seem to realize how dangerous I really am."

Those emerald eyes of hers were proud and defiant as she gazed back at his coolly. "I don't plan to let you use fear to control me," she said.

He tilted his head and leaned towards her. "Really?" he asked. "Then what about this?"

He closed the distance between their mouths, pushing their lips together. He forced her mouth open and Sakura could taste the remnants of her own blood as he dug his tongue deep inside. She didn't resist his kiss, but she didn't give any response to it either. She would not let him have any more amusement from toying with her than she could help.

He was really such a sadistic bastard. Maybe she did hate him after all.


	4. friend

[A/N] Updated THANKYOUSOFREAKINGMUCH list: SasusakuIslovelyy, eggbert, princesskisara, Sezthekitty, Pomegranate Seeds, sasuke-luvs-sakura. You're all so wonderful, I really appreciate the fact you spent the extra minute to write a review.

The meaning of the title will be revealed in time, if you're wondering. I think some of you may understand it already, though. Also, this story isn't really going to always be written as a day-to-day development. Eventually it's gonna get to the point where we're going to be skipping days, maybe even weeks—it's not always going to be so slow. Just telling you. :)

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

4} friend

.

.

_the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest_

.

"Want to be my girlfriend?"

The question was suddenly asked just as Sakura was about to embark on her journey to the grocery store that Saturday morning to buy her weekly groceries. Uchiha Sasuke was standing outside her apartment, leaning against the black railing. The high school idol was simply dressed in well-fitting jeans and a navy T-shirt that had the names of major cities printed all over it in white. Sakura almost blushed—he was attractive in both school uniform and casual clothes. Even if he hadn't set himself up to be a playboy, he probably would've been pretty popular just for his looks.

Sakura glanced down at herself, appraising her own outfit, which was a parallel to his. Her jeans were too big for her, hanging unattractively from her slender hips, and the t-shirt she wore was a solid red. She hadn't chosen her clothes carefully this morning since it was just a trip to the grocery store, but now she wished she had taken the time to pull out her nicer clothes—if only that she wouldn't have to compare herself to the Konoha prince's perfection.

"No, I do not want to be your girlfriend, Uchiha-san," Sakura said, and slipping the strap of her small purse over her shoulder, she started towards the stairs.

"Everybody already thinks you are, Sakura," he said, his voice taunting as he called after her.

Sakura stopped and whirled around to glare at him. He had that terrible smirk she hated on his lips. "But I'm _not_, and that's what matters," she retaliated. "So leave me alone."

"Look, I'm going to be frank, here," he said, and strode over to her before placing his arms loosely over her shoulders. She flinched at the touch. He then bent down so their gazes were level as he continued, "Sakura… I don't like you." His eyes narrowed slightly, and she stared back with just as much obstinacy in her eyes. He continued, "But this would make things very, very simple. You being my girlfriend would make life a lot easier for me. There are already rumors going around about us anyway."

"That was all because you said such useless things!" Sakura replied hotly. "Besides, I'd still murdered by your fangirls either way, more so if I did become your girlfriend."

"I'll protect you," he said, echoing the phrase he'd said a few days ago. It had as little vigor and credibility as before. "I'll be a perfect boyfriend for you. We can hold hands going home. I'll hug you when you cry. I'll kiss you, and if you want, we can even have se—"

"Don't say another word," she hurriedly interrupted and tried to block the graphic images flowing in her head. The two of them hugging… the two of them holding hands and smiling as they skipped home… the two of them lying in bed together… The idea was so ridiculous she almost wanted to burst into laughter and/or horrified tears. She covered her face with her hand, holding down a half-hysterical giggle threatening to escape her windpipe as she managed to squeeze out, "I don't want a boyfriend right now, I really don't."

"But _I'm _lonely," Sasuke said, putting a hand on her chin and forcing her to look up at him. His dark eyes bore into her. "I can't play around with girls anymore because of our little promise, so I have nothing to do this fine Saturday morning. Otherwise I'd be on a date…"

"I never said you couldn't flirt or anything, I just don't want you to play around girls and take advantage of them!" Sakura shot back.

Sasuke's gaze turned condescending. "Any girl that approaches me expects me to bring them home. That's the reputation I have and it won't change easily. Besides, I only approached them because I wanted their blood. I promised you I wouldn't do that anymore, so I need a way to avoid them. If I had a girlfriend, they would stop bothering me eventually."

Sakura refused to listen. "Haven't you done enough damage to me already?" Sakura said viciously, her tone curt. "I don't want you barging more into my life than necessary, Uchiha-san." Memories of last night flashed in her mind. Her hand crept to her neck, trying to be inconspicuous, but she saw the gleam in his eyes. She quickly dropped it back down beside her hip, but it was too late.

He knew she was feeling nervous around him.

With the smirk still on his face, Sasuke leaned in so close the tips of their noses touched. "Did you hate my kiss that much?" he asked her, his breath smelling of mint. "You don't care for a repeat?"

Sakura stubbornly refused and leaned away from him as much as she could. "Of course I hated it. I don't want you forcing kisses on me."

"Was it your first?"

He was such a nosy bastard! "Of course not!" Her first kiss… that was a memory she did not want to remember. Sakura quickly turned and started walking away again. She inwardly cursed when she heard his footsteps behind her. "Are you planning on following me to the grocery store?" she asked him without turning around.

"_That's _where you're going?" he asked, his disappointment clear. "I was hoping for something more exciting."

"Like _what?_" Where else the hell would she go in _these_ clothes?

"A romantic rendezvous, maybe?" he offered tauntingly.

Sakura just sighed, choosing not to reply, and continued along. Sasuke quickened his pace a little so he was walking beside her. "Should we hold hands?" he asked, sounding like he was holding down a laugh. He held one of his pale hands out in front of her. She was surprised at the size of it—it wasn't huge, but it was much bigger than her own.

But her musings didn't stop her from pushing it away roughly. "_No._"

"That's no fun, Sakura. Isn't this a date?"

Sakura wondered if the boy walking beside her was really that stupid. Even if it was a joke, it was just plain retarded. "You. Are following me. To the _grocery store_." In no way were his stalker-like tendencies remotely close to resembling something akin to a date, and she refused to think of this situation as anything more than her next door neighbor trailing after her because he had nothing better to do.

"I'll carry the basket or push the cart for you," he said, his inky eyes full of amusement.

Sakura suddenly stopped walking. "_Why?_" He slowed and turned to look at her, midnight-colored eyes unreadable. "Why do you insist on always barging into my life like this, Uchiha-san? Does it entertain you that much?"

His reply was quick and arrogant. "Of course," was his steady answer. "You belong to me, Sakura, and now that you're my partner… I also belong to you. It was sealed the first time I bit you, when you willingly and knowingly gave yourself up to me. It's in your blood, the desire to obey me, isn't it?" His midnight-colored eyes seemed to turn even darker.

Sakura couldn't break away from his gaze, just gazed at him with wide emerald eyes.

"You can feel it whenever you look at me. That's why I said 'partners' tend to be lovers, because after giving ourselves up to each other as we have done, we are connected deep inside. Our lives are only going to intermingle more and more from now on." He stepped closer and leaned in; Sakura's heart began beating a little faster at the close proximity. "Our fates have been intertwined. You are my _consort_—" he pinched her nose playfully, and she quickly slapped his hand away. "And vice versa, of course. A piece of your soul is in my body, and a piece of my soul rests in yours, which we exchanged when I bit you. From that point, we have been and will continue to be eternally bonded… Until one of us dies."

_Do you know what you're asking? _he had asked Sakura that very first night, his eyes glinting scarlet. She thought she had. She really thought it would be simple, just offering her blood every night and letting him satisfy his hunger. But she hadn't understood anything, not at all. Only now was the fine print in their tacit contract coming into view.

Sakura bit her lip and began walking again. There was nothing to say in reply to that; it was true. Even now, she could feel the bite marks tingling under his charcoal gaze. She hurried past him and down the road, eager to escape from him.

But, of course, he caught up to her quickened pace without difficulty, his legs being much longer than hers. "Are you angry?" he asked, not sounding concerned for her at all, but instead, thoroughly amused.

God, she really felt like she hated him at this point—so, he was her _eternal consort_, now? They were _bonded forever_ until death? All this information was given too suddenly and too late—why was he only telling her now? "Obviously! You're such a shitty bastard, you know that?"

He just smirked. "Of course I know," he said, "but the more important question is, do you plan on calling me 'bastard' forever?"

"Yes," she replied easily. "Until the day I die."

His next question was unexpected. "You won't call me _Sasuke_?" he asked her, cocking his head a little to the side and giving her a strangely innocent yet alluring pleading expression.

Sakura was taken aback. She quickly glanced away, staring down at the road. The idea of calling him by his first name hadn't even occurred to her until he had spoken it. "…No," she answered after a moment's pause. She was being uselessly stubborn, she knew it, but somehow she felt if she conceded to calling him by his name, then she really would never escape him for the rest of her life—and maybe even after.

The idea was frightening and yet… strangely tantalizing.

"I'll get you to call me by my name sooner or later, Sakura," was all he said in response as he stepped a little ahead of her. Sakura just chose to glare at his back as they continued on towards the grocery store.

.

.

_confidence vs. arrogance_

.

"Tofu, lettuce, apples…" Sakura checked off the little sticky note she held in her hand, which contained her handwritten list of necessities, as she carefully placed the bag of apples into the grocery basket over the other food.

"This is starting to get heavy," the basket's carrier complained as he hefted it a bit higher.

"Shut up," Sakura replied bitingly. "You're the one who said you'd carry my stuff for me."

"Aa, true. I did say that." He glanced into the green basket for a moment. "You like apples?" he asked her, eyeing the red fruit.

She glared at him. "Something wrong with that?"

He raised an eyebrow. "No, that's not it. I just thought you were more of a… cherry person."

"I was named Sakura because of the color of my hair, not because of my personal preferences," she retorted.

The corner of his lip twitched into a tiny smile. "I'm not stupid." With his free hand, Sasuke reached up and ran his fingers along the pink strands for a brief moment. Sakura's expression turned sour. "Your hair really is the color of cherry blossoms," he said, slowly pulling his hand away. The feel of his touch lingered. "It's pretty."

Sakura ignored his praise. Instead, she gave him a question. "Do _you_ like apples?" she asked him as she led them both to the refrigerated area where the eggs were located.

"Not especially," he answered. "I like tomatoes, though."

Her next incredulous question was one whose unknown answer she had been curious about for days. "You eat normal food?"

"I do," he answered.

"Really?" She paused for a moment to glance at him warily. "Then why do you need blood?"

He took a few seconds to mull it over and make a clear explanation. "Blood… to vampires is like water to humans," he answered after a thoughtful moment. "We can get energy from other sources but without blood, we can't survive."

"…Oh." Well, that made sense…kind of. "Then… what kinds of food do you like?" She was just being curious but his suddenly reappearing smirk made her suddenly regret asking.

"Aa? Do you want to cook for me?" he inquired, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pressing his lips to the side of her head. A couple nearby shoppers looked them, a few smiling enviously, apparently thinking the two were a happy couple going shopping together. Some others frowned in disapproval at the public display of 'affection'. "I like handmade onigiri with _katsuobushi_," he told her informatively, as if he had the nerve to believe she actually had the desire to make riceballs filled with dried bonita flakes for him.

"Get off," Sakura growled, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to make his arm to slip off. She looked up to see him still smirking down at her. Damn his height! He wasn't even that tall, only about 5'7, yet why did he seem so much more imposing? At times like these, it made her feel small and vulnerable. No, that was a lie. She always felt too vulnerable when he was around. Aa, why was she always—

A hesitant voice interrupted her thoughts. "Sakura…chan?"

Sakura looked away from the vampire's smirk to see a group of three girls all looking at her. Sakura's mouth opened a little bit in surprise as she saw the figure that stood in front of them.

"You _are_ Sakura-chan, right?" the girl who had spoken earlier asked, and stepped closer. The two girls behind her just watched quietly.

"Ah, yeah… hey, Nanako," Sakura greeted her quietly, too haltingly. She was making her discomfort too obvious. _Lame_, she thought. _You are so lame, even when you're just saying hi to an old classmate._

"You got… a boyfriend?" the girl asked, her brown eyes eyeing the dark-haired boy whose arm still hung around Sakura's shoulders.

Sakura was quick to maneuver herself out of Sasuke's grasp. "No, no way. He's just a… um… a classmate." _My eternally soul-bound consort of a classmate, _she added mentally, the words bitter in her mind. Sasuke simply stood by, mutely appraising the brown-haired girl who was standing before them with his hands in his pockets.

Nanako covered her mouth momentarily from embarrassment at her mistake. "Oh. You two seem very… um… friendly."

"We're not. Not at all," Sakura quickly protested. "So, uh… what brings you here?"

"We were buying a few things for dinner… They're sleeping over." Nanako gestured to her two friends behind her. "Well, it seems like you're doing well, Sakura-chan."

"Eh?" Sakura's green eyes grew dark. "Yeah, I'm… I'm okay."

"How have you been? I mean, since your mother…"

"It's fine," Sakura said. "I'm… I'm better. I'm living by myself now, but it's… I'm okay, now."

Nanako broke into a warm smile. "Then I'm really happy. You know, I was really worried about you, especially after you decided to attend a different school and moved away without telling anybody… You seem much happier now." Nanako knit her fingers together. "That's great, really great. I'm so glad I could see you again, Sakura-chan. It's so great that you're happier now."

"Aa… thank you." Sakura smiled back nervously.

"You'll be fine from now on, won't you?"

Sakura's reply was halfhearted. "I will. Thanks for worrying about me. I'll be fine."

.

.

_I'll be fine… is it?_

.

"Ne, Nana, who was that?"

Nanako smiled. "She used to be in our middle school, so you guys wouldn't know her since you came for just high school."

"Were you guys were friends? You acted so shy and sweet in front of her; totally different from how you usually are, Nana."

"Hmm?" Nanako swung the green basket playfully. "You think? But I was class rep, so of course I have to act like I care about her. Actually, she was a really creepy person back in middle school."

"Ehh. Really?"

"Yeah. There were always tons of rumors about her, and she didn't talk to anybody."

"But she has such a hot boyfriend…"

"They're not dating, she said so herself," Nanako said. "Who would want to date a freak like her?"

"What? That's kind of harsh, Nana. She seems normal to me."

"Yeah," the other friend agreed. "She's a little dark, but I mean, she's pretty."

"No way," Nanako said. "Everybody hated her. She's so stuck up. All the guys called her the Ice Princess because she was so cold to everybody, but they liked her looks. Plus, she always scored number one on the exams, so maybe it all went to her head." Nanaki flipped a strand of hair over her shoulder. "Well, actually, she was normal until about winter time during the last year of middle school. She suddenly stopped talking to everybody and wouldn't let anybody touch her, like she was afraid of people or something."

"That's kind weird. Did something happen to her?"

"Something must've happened. Nana, do you know the reason why she suddenly changed?"

"Nope." Nanako switched the basket to her other hand as she continued, "Although I did hear some people saying her mother was abused to death by her father, or that her mother suddenly snapped and went crazy so her dad ran away from the family. I even heard stuff like her parents committed suicide. It's only rumors, though. Personally, I just think Sakura-chan went psycho."

.

.

_only a rumor_

.

"Who was that?" Sasuke questioned her when the three girls had walked away.

Sakura headed towards the eggs. "She was an old classmate of mine from middle school," she answered.

"You ran away from there or something? What did she mean you moved away without telling anybody?"

She didn't feel like answering that. "I… decided to try out a new school."

That wasn't the real answer, and Sasuke knew it. "Why?" he asked, the inky eyes trying to pull the truth out of her as he stared at her.

His relentless scrutiny made her want to fidget. He was so irritating! "Because, _I was sick of that place_." Sakura's eyes seemed to be blazing of emerald fire as she turned and met his eyes. "Got it?"

His lips wore a small smirk as he put his hands up in a nonchalant gesture of surrender. "Yes m'am," he said.

She glared at him a little longer before turning back to the stack of egg cartons. She compared the prices briefly, making the calculations in her head, and chose a package of white cardboard. She placed it carefully over the rest of the groceries in Sasuke's basket.

"…What happened to your mother?" he asked her quietly, the tone serious, just as she was pulling her arms away from the basket. Sakura froze, the only movement being in the widening of her eyes. "It seems like whatever it was affected you a lot," he commented. "What happened to her?"

Her reply was shaky. "Didn't… didn't you say you wouldn't ask about my family?" she asked him, sounding almost desperate.

"Since I'm asking you, you can ask about mine in return," he replied.

There was a brief silence as Sakura weighed the options in her mind. She decided to speak; her eyes grew lifeless as she said, "Okaa-san, she…" Sasuke noticed how she bit her lip before continuing. "She passed away."

She was definitely hiding something, but he decided not to press her. Somehow, he knew that if he did, this girl in front of him would break, as if she really were the delicate, fragile little flower after which she was named. "How long ago?" he asked her instead of the question he truly wanted to inquire.

"Last winter…" she said softly. That was when she started living by herself, if what she said Thursday night was the truth.

"What about your father? Where is he?" _Why aren't you living with him? Do you even have a father? Did he abandon you? _The aching desire to know was urging him to throw his questions at her, but he carefully held it all in. He had no desire to tear this girl into pieces now, at least not before he could fully dissect her and toy with her to the ultimate full extent.

The deadness of the emerald eyes suddenly morphed into a hot, angry flame, surprising him. Sasuke actually took a step back upon seeing the expression of pure fury that contorted the girl's pretty face into angry lines. "I don't know," she said, her fingers curling to form shaking fists. "And I don't give a damn about him, either."

.

.

_that was when the wheels began turning_

.

"And the total is 3670 yen," the female cashier said. Though the words were intended for the girl who was pulling the required money out of her wallet, the cashier's gray-green eyes were focused on the pale dark-haired boy who stood a few feet away.

"Here," Sakura said, and held out the money. The cashier didn't seem to hear her, looking absolutely entranced with her shopping companion instead. Sakura _ahem_-ed loudly and the cashier whipped her head back to look at her. "The money," Sakura deadpanned, her hand still held out.

"Oh, sorry," the cashier said, a small blush on her cheeks as she hastily took the money and put it into the machine. The receipt printed and she ripped it out and handed it to Sakura, who slipped it into one of the plastic bags—her gray-green eyes continually glancing over at Sasuke the entire time.

Really, it seemed every girl in the world (or at least, Japan) was infatuated with this boy's looks. Sakura wanted to shake her head in exasperation. Was she the only one who knew the truth of his sadistic personality?

Sakura sighed a quick "Thank you," pitying the oblivious cashier, before turning to look at the boy who was watching her with inky eyes. "Aren't you going to help me carry these?" She looked pointedly at the bags waiting to be picked up.

"Only if you'll call me by my name from now on," he said with his arms crossed.

Sakura rolled her eyes and took the four bags herself and started towards the doors. "Whatever, then. I didn't expect you to help anyway." That was a lie—she'd actually thought he would help her, not pull a stupid, childish stunt like this—that's why she bought more than usual this time, because another pair of hands could help her carry the groceries back home. She strained at the weight, feeling her face grow hot with the exertion.

She was forcibly stopped in her tracks when his arms wrapped around her neck from behind. He pressed his cheek against the side of her head as the gray-green eyed cashier watched them enviously a few feet away.

"You can't carry all that all the way home," he remarked calmly. "You're too weak."

"Since you won't help me, I kind of have to, don't I?" _Stop touching me!_

"If you'll say my name, I'd be more than willing."

Sakura's shoulders slumped. She considered the options: her pride or practicality? She let out a deep sigh, giving up. She really couldn't carry all of this home by herself. "…Sa…suke-san." The words sounded so unfamiliar on her tongue, and somehow it seemed like the world had shifted by saying his name. It was a strange feeling. "Please help me."

"Without the _san_, that's too formal." His arms wrapped around her a little tighter, more possessively.

She rolled her eyes again. "Sasuke-_kun_, then."

"That's better," he said approvingly. He released his tight hold and reached down to take the bags from her right hand.

Sakura moved one of the bags from her left to her now empty hand and relished at the feel of the suddenly lighter burden. "Thanks," she murmured reluctantly.

Sasuke just smirked and led the way through the automatic doors.

She mused as they started the route back to the apartments, wondering if it would be okay—her calling him Sasuke-kun from now on. Well, it was just saying his name after all, even though that sort of thing was something that was supposed to reserved for very close friends. Sakura glanced at him with wary eyes. He wasn't her friend, but then, what was he to her? Not a friend, but… not someone she entirely hated, either.

Her gaze softened. But didn't she hate all men? Being with them made her uncomfortable, and their very touch made her cringe. But it seemed Uchiha Sasuke was the exception; she had grown somewhat used to his touch the past couple of days, mostly because there wasn't a way to stop him from harassing her—he did things so whimsically, but somehow she'd gotten accustomed to the way he did things over the past few days, even if she didn't like it.

They weren't friends, no, and maybe they never would be. But they weren't enemies, either, she decided.

With that in mind, she stepped up beside him so they could walk to the road back home together, side by side.


	5. anemia

[A/N] Again, another thank you to all who reviewed~ I seriously, seriously can't get over how happy they make me. (^-^*)

And Pomegranate Seeds! I wish you'd get an account, just so I can reply to your reviews. It irritates me how I can't reply to you! XD

Anyway, this chapter contains a bit more vampiric info for you vampire!Sasu-chan fans! …As well as a few expletives. (-_-;) Sorry. You guys can handle some naughty words, right? Well, hope you enjoy. Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

5} anemia

.

.

_what does it really mean to be human?_

.

Sakura could hear him quietly swallowing, devouring the crimson liquid that flowed from her neck. It still hurt every time he bit her, but it was much less painful than the first time. The feeling was, Sakura guessed, likely akin to getting one's ears pierced—a momentary and very painful puncture, which then grew into a dull ache that lasted a few hours. Trying to find something to focus on other than the pain, she turned her head up and gazed up at the ceiling light.

The light seemed, strangely enough, to be spinning. "…Stop," she whispered. Sasuke listened and pulled away quickly, his dark eyes appraising her. She looked incredibly pale, and her breath was more shallow than usual.

"Anemia," he murmured, and taking hold of her wrist, he searched for her heartbeat. It was a bit faster than usual, and the skin under his fingers was cold. His fingers lingered over her wrist for a moment, and Sakura looked at him curiously. His eyes narrowed as he released her. "Go lie down and rest, Sakura," he told her.

She nodded, and put her t-shirt collar back to its usual position before setting off towards the door.

He grabbed her arm at a spot just above her elbow. "Where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his voice nearing a growl.

"Home, obviously." She shook his hand off.

"No, you are not." With one quick movement of his arms, Sakura suddenly found herself in the air, his arms holding her there, and then she was hung over his shoulder. She grit her teeth; he was treating her as if she were a potato sack. He could at least do her the favor of carrying her properly, even if he saw her as nothing other than his toy.

"Put me down, Uchiha-san!" she yelled.

He was indifferent to her protests. "I thought I told you to call me by my name," he chose to comment on instead.

That quieted her. She glared at the ground in sullen contemplation as he carried her towards his bedroom; Sakura suddenly realized that this was the first time she was going any farther into his apartment than where his blue sofa stood. Once in his room, Sasuke dropped her onto his bed. She groaned as the impact of her body hitting the soft blankets caused her head to begin pounding mercilessly.

"You're such a bastard," she whispered as she reached up to rub her temples.

"I am," he agreed, the corner of his lips curving upwards.

She looked at him with accusing green eyes. "Why won't you let me go home to rest?"

"Because you won't rest." He sat down on the floor and rested his elbows on the frame of the bed, one hand holding his head as he watched her with unreadable dark eyes. "Do you have trouble sleeping at night, Sakura?"

She turned to the other side so her back faced him and her eyes could focus on the white wall. "No," she said.

"Liar. You have dark circles under your eyes everyday."

"Those are from staying up late—"

"I hear you screaming at night sometimes."

Sakura's eyes widened. So he knew she had nightmares... She closed her eyes and turned her face so it was half-pressed into the light blue pillow. It smelled lightly of shampoo, a very fresh kind of scent. "Do you sleep?" she asked.

If she'd looked at him, she would've seen his eyes narrow at the blatant change in subject. Still, he went along with it. "What do you mean?"

"Vampires sleep?"

She heard him sigh. "We do."

"And… you can eat garlic?"

"Yes, although we don't have much of a taste for it."

"Crosses won't…?"

"No."

"What about sunlight?"

It took him a moment to respond to that one. "Generally we get tired more easily in the sunlight… it's true that vampires tend to be nocturnal because of that. I personally forced myself to get used to it."

There was a brief pause, and then: "When did you become a vampire, Sasuke-kun?"

She heard him breathe in sharply, and there was another moment of silence. "About seven years ago… when I was eight," he said quietly.

So he'd been a vampire for a while. "Did it hurt?" she asked. "To change, I mean."

"Yeah. It hurt."

She mused over that for a while. Did the venom cause the pain? "How does the venom… How does it change you?"

"Once the venom is released from the fangs, it travels through the bloodstream," he said. "The venom gets absorbed by the body and then everything begins changing from the inside. It's like a disease that spreads through your entire body, mutating your genes and changing your basic constitution so your body needs blood to survive. A few days later you look in the mirror and you suddenly have fangs." His words were quietly spoken, but there was a hint of bitterness behind them that made Sakura a little nervous.

Did he hate the fact that he was a vampire?

She exhaled softly. "Sasuke-kun…" She hesitated, but continued, "Do you consider yourself to be human?"

This time his answer was immediate. "No," he said, sounding as if this were now a casual conversation. He said the words so easily, and yet… "I'm not human."

Somehow, Sakura couldn't help but think he sounded very sad.

.

.

_hey, why… do you sound like you want to cry?_

.

Once she had fallen asleep, Sasuke took the chance to take a closer look at her. He gently took her arm and turned it so he could see the skin under the girl's palm.

There was a large scar running along her wrist, faded and thin. He'd never noticed it until tonight, when he'd grabbed her wrist to check her heartbeat.

Did his next door neighbor cut herself?

Maybe she had more problems than he had initially suspected.

.

.

_more than he could ever know_

.

When she opened her eyes, the rays of morning sunlight were streaming in through the window. Sakura shot up into a sitting position, and looked around the room with wide eyes.

This wasn't her room.

This wasn't her bed.

Where?—

Then she remembered last night. _Oh, right, _she thought, her body relaxing. _After buying groceries, he wanted blood…_

She looked to the left and saw, with wide green eyes, that Uchiha Sasuke was asleep; his head lay on top of his arms that rested on the edge of the bed. Apparently, he had fallen asleep watching over her last night.

Sakura's gaze turned to her lap. Her legs were covered in a soft blue blanket; somehow he'd pulled it out from under her as she'd slept and put it on top of her without waking her up. Had she really been so tired? She hadn't had any nightmares, either; in fact, her sleep had been miraculously dreamless. She ran a hand through her hair. It was probably because there was someone else with her, so she could relax enough to allow herself to fade into a calm sleep.

Her green eyes glanced at the dark-haired boy. His expression was serene, and sleep brought an innocent quality into his face; with his closed eyes and small smile, he looked almost like a child. Sakura smiled a little as she stretched her hand out and reached for his head. She stroked his hair gently. The black strands weren't exceptionally soft or silky, but… his hair felt nice between her fingers.

"Thank you," she whispered. But for what exactly, she wasn't sure.

.

.

_but she was unsure about many things_

.

When Sasuke woke up, she wasn't there. The bed was neatly made, the pillow and the blankets all in place and even tucked in. Over his shoulders rested the thin quilt that usually covered the other blankets; he smiled as he sat up and pulled the quilt off of himself.

So stubborn little Sakura did care, after all.

He carelessly threw it over the other blankets before climbing on top of the bed and stretching himself out over the mattress. Sasuke sighed. He probably couldn't take any of Sakura's blood today. Probably not tomorrow either, to be safe. He bit his lip admonishingly. He had been taking too much lately, unable to help himself—her blood was so delicious. He always had trouble stopping himself once he sank his teeth into her soft throat…

They had told him that if he found a person's blood delicious, that person had a personality that was complementary to his own, and/or that they both had experiences of a similar nature. Basically, the more homogenous a vampire and a human were, the tastier the human's blood would seem to the vampire.

Sasuke gazed at the ceiling with narrowed eyes. His own past was a hell of pain and blood. He had lost his family and the life he had known, lost all his happiness—what had Sakura gone through? Their personalities were similar in that they were both somewhat cynical, but Sasuke was sure the fact her blood was so appealing was in that she must've had an incredibly painful history as well.

He conjured an image of the girl in his mind. She was thin, too thin—she had the body of a twelve-year-old, almost completely flat chested and with a minimum of curves. Her cheekbones stuck out a little too much, and though her grades were always at the very top of their whole year, she always seemed incredibly tired with her dark circles and ghostly pale skin. Insomnia had taken its toll on her appearance, it seemed. She was pretty, but upon closer inspection the telltale signs of sleepless nights added an almost frightening aspect to her delicate features.

What was she so afraid of that kept her awake at night?

All he knew was that her mother was dead and she hated her father. She sometimes had nightmares, from which she woke up thrashing and screaming, and she kept a distance from men. No, she kept a distance from _everybody_—she seemed afraid to trust people. Sasuke remembered how she had reacted when a boy had tried flirting with her at the beginning of the year, and playfully touched her shoulder. In response, Sakura had screamed at him not to touch her, her eyes livid. Everybody had been shocked, and by the end of the day, everybody already knew her as the "pink-haired psycho".

Since then, several rumors had been surrounding her at school. Everybody thought she was a temperamental girl who was obsessed with studying, and thought herself too superior to condescend to be friendly to anybody or let somebody even lay a finger on her.

Sasuke had simply accepted it as the truth. After all, even though she was his next door neighbor, she had never come to introduce herself to him, and during the evenings he brought girls home after a date, he could see that the light was still on through the crack under her front door, though he usually came back at around midnight. He'd just thought she'd been studying.

But just last week, he'd heard her screaming, right as he was dozing off to sleep.

.

.

_like she being tortured_

.

"Don't…!"

Sasuke's eyes shot open and he glanced around the room. There was nobody there; then where was the screaming coming fro—

"_NO!_"

Wasn't that Haruno Sakura's voice? Was she getting attacked? Suddenly wide awake, Sasuke jumped out of bed and pressed his ear to the wall that separated their apartments. He could hear her thrashing, but nothing else. She was alone.

He cringed at the sound of her fists ramming against the floor. Sakura probably slept on a futon on the ground, going by what he could hear, and she would no doubt have bruises the next morning.

"Please…" She was whimpering now.

This was probably the real reason for the dark circles that rimmed her eyes every day; Haruno Sakura had nightmares. Sasuke climbed back into bed and stared at the ceiling. What a pitiful girl his next door neighbor was, he thought, to have nightmares so frightening that she was reduced to sobs, when she seemed to have absolutely no emotion during school.

Then again, he'd used to have them as well, up until middle school—then Uzumaki Naruto had come into his life, saving him from everything.

Who did Sakura have?

Even as the first rays of morning light began streaming in through his window hours later, he still couldn't think of an answer.

Because she was always alone, wasn't she?

.

.

_such a pitiful, pitiful girl_

.

Sakura gingerly stuck the bandage onto the puncture mark. As she peered at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, she let out a small sigh. She still looked pale, and though she felt much better after getting a good night's rest, there was a light-headedness that refused to go away. It should've been expected, though; after all, Sasuke had been taking blood from her every night since Wednesday.

Did he really need so much? Sakura pressed a hand gently against the bandage, where the skin tingled a little at the thought of his teeth sinking into her flesh. If he continued at this rate, she would eventually get sick… Already she had trouble sleeping at night; if she had constant anemia, her body would be under too much stress and it would get to the point where she wouldn't be able to function anymore.

She sighed again, dropping her hand. Then again, she was the one who'd chosen this path in life. She gazed into the mirror at her own eyes. They were a dull green today, full of exhaustion and rimmed with red.

She wouldn't regret her choice, she thought stubbornly. Even if the girls hated her, she couldn't let them get played around and be torn apart. It wasn't fair to them; they didn't deserve to be fooled around like toys. But her? She was already broken, so what did it matter? If Uchiha Sasuke was content to play with a broken toy, then so be it. Still, if he broke her any further, she was sure her heart would refuse to continue beating.

It was a little frightening to think about.

.

.

_pitiful, pitiful… and broken_

.

He appeared at her front door an hour later with an expression full of an emotion Sakura couldn't quite name. She stared at him, trying to figure it out, and for a moment they stood gazing at each other in silence.

She decided it wasn't worth the trouble. "Bye," she said and began closing the door.

He quickly shot out a hand to stop her and grabbed the edge of the door before she could pull it shut. "No, I want to ask you something…" he said, and met her eyes. There was… concern there, in the dark gaze. Sakura's eyes widened a tiny bit, and she loosened her hold on the doorknob.

"Well, what?" she asked, and crossed her arms; an unconscious protective stance.

"You—you're not cutting your wrists or anything, right?"

Her green gaze hardened. "No, I'm not."

"Then what is that scar?" His dark eyes focused on the arms that lay over her chest.

She loosened them and held up her wrists. "This?" she asked, using her right hand to point to her left wrist, which had a long, thin running across the pale skin. "You think I'm suicidal or something?"

"That's right," he answered without hesitation. He grabbed her wrist and brought it closer to his face to inspect it. "I noticed this yesterday when I checked your heartbeat. They definitely look like knife wounds. What did you do?"

"I was… trying out cutting." She tried to pull her arm away but his grasp was too strong.

His eyes directed their gaze towards her face. "How long ago?"

"A while." She met his eyes. "I don't really remember."

"Sakura…" He clenched her wrist so hard it was becoming painful.

"I'm not going to kill myself, Uchiha-san," she said. "Please let me go. It hurts."

"As if I will believe that." But he loosened his grip.

"I won't. I'm not that weak." She pulled her arm away roughly and back to her side. "I don't cut myself, either. Besides, I… I only tried it once, to see how it felt."

There was only one scar, meaning it was probably just a one time thing, but for some reason he got the feeling she was lying about something. "That's not enough to make me believe you."

"Why do even you care?" she challenged. "It's not like I'm somebody you have to worry about—"

"_Shut up_," he snarled. "Look, you belong to me, get it? We're connected, like I told you, and if you were to die, I'd lose a huge part of my life."

"How the hell does that work?"

"You have a piece of my soul." He pointed a finger at her chest, where her heart approximately laid. "Should you decide to kill yourself, I lose that piece of myself, and I'd really rather not have to worry about you shortening my life span."

"Me dying—it'll shorten your life span?" Her face contorted with disbelief.

"Yes." He ran a hand through his dark hair. "And vice versa. If I die, you'll lose a piece of your soul, and your life will be shortened."

Sakura closed her eyes, feeling a wave of sudden anxiety wash over her. "Why did you do something so… important like this without thinking? Why did you make me your partn—_consort_ so easily?" Her green eyes opened and she gazed at him with suspicion. "We're going to be tied down forever to each other, after all. Why did you give up your freedom so easily?"

His eyes were impossible to read. "For myself. I'm a pretty goddamn selfish person, if you haven't noticed."

She leaned against the doorway and coolly met his gaze. "I'm well aware of that. But explain to me how my being your consort benefits you? It doesn't make sense, Uchi—Sasuke-kun. I don't get it, I don't understand—_Oi! Let me go!_" Sasuke had grabbed her wrists and was holding them above her head. She glared at him, her face flushed from the embarrassing position and from the fury of him treating her like… like a sex slave, or something.

He leaned in close. "I'm a vampire, Sakura," he said quietly.

"I _know _that."

"No, you don't seem to understand." He leaned his face closer to hers, his long fingers tightening around her thin wrists. She winced; his nails were cutting into her skin. "You really, really don't." She could feel his hot breath against her cheek.

Sakura struggled against his hold. "Let me go," she growled.

"No." With his free hand, he took hold of her chin and forced her to tilt her head towards his.

Her green eyes narrowed. "_I said_, let me g—mmf!"

He smothered her mouth with a heavy kiss. It was hot, deep, intimate, powerful—_frightening_ how much force he could put into just his tongue. Sakura felt her heart pounding furiously in her chest. This was scary, this wasn't what she wanted, why wouldn't he let her go, no— No, no, no no _no no_—

He broke away and Sakura could see the dark eyes glowing red. Her own green widened. He took his hand off her chin and put it to his mouth. With his finger, he lifted up his upper lip, baring a sharp fang at her for a moment before dropping his hand. His eyes were dark and cold, like ice, but burning with the scarlet hunger of a predator stalking its next meal.

A monster, Sakura realized, gazing into his cruel eyes. Uchiha Sasuke was a monster.

_This person isn't human._

Sakura's felt her body go cold, as if a layer of ice had latched onto her body and forced her into a frozen state.

"I am a _vampire_," he whispered, leaning in close and pressing his lips to her ear. He extended his tongue and licked the soft cartilage, and she shivered. "With these teeth of mine, I could kill you so easily… Humans are our prey, you do realize?"

She couldn't answer. Her throat felt clogged, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. Fear was immobilizing her.

"We are stronger than humans. Faster. Superior." He let go of her wrists and broke their eye contact; feeling rushed back into her body, and she took the chance to look away from his face, down at her hands as she quietly rubbed her hurt wrists. The red marks of his fingers were bright against her pale skin. He added cynically, "But it's a fucking disease, being a vampire."

Sakura took in deep breath, steadying herself. She had to stay calm. He wasn't going to hurt her, _it's okay it's okay it's okay it's just Uchiha Sasuke. The next door neighbor. He won't do anything._ "…What does that have to do with tying yourself down to one person?" she asked, and was proud to hear that her voice only shook a little.

"A vampire's body isn't strong internally." He slid his hands into his pockets. Sakura continued rubbing her wrists. "Taking blood from a lot of different people takes up energy, especially when you take it from somebody different each day. Every person's blood is different, and it's hard to adapt to all the different types. But if I can take blood from just one person…" He looked at her. "I don't have to continue adapting to every new person I bite. I can adjust to only yours, and eventually there will be no more stress on my body if I continue taking from just you since my body will become used to yours over time." He let out a bitter laugh. "We're like fucking parasites, needing to grab onto humans in order to survive."

Sakura was skeptical. "You don't seem stressed or tired…"

"Why do you think I always slept during class?"

Sakura just looked at the floor. "I don't know." She had never thought about it before.

"Because I was always exhausted from being in the sun and from taking some girl's goddamn blood, that's why."

Sakura didn't reply.

"But it's gotten better," he continued. "Because of you."

She looked up and met his dark eyes. They were… almost warm.

"So if you were to kill yourself—"

"I won't." Sakura closed her green eyes and sighed. "The cutting—it wasn't… it wasn't anything related to wanting to hurt myself. Don't worry about it. And… I made a promise to… somebody… that I will live." She opened her eyes and looked down at her feet.

"You're not making sense," he said.

"I… I know you don't get it, but… well, I promise I won't act rash and try to commit suicide. I'm… I'm not that weak. Not anymore."

There was a small pause; then Sasuke reached over and put his hand on top of her head. It was a comforting gesture, of a sort, and Sakura felt her cheeks grow a little hotter at the gentle touch. "Got it," he said softly. Then he turned and walked away. Sakura watched him go back into his apartment silently, her green eyes cautious and surprised: he hadn't asked any further, though he could've. Maybe he was… being careful with her?

Regardless, he was beginning to figure things out about her, and she found it unsettling. Her secrets were her own, not mysteries for him to solve. But, she mused as she headed back in her own apartment and shut the door behind her, she was pretty curious about him, too.

Things were beginning to change for the both of them, that was obvious. But whether that was a good or bad thing, she didn't know.

She wasn't sure about anything anymore.


	6. attack

[A/N] Reason for the early post? Shounen-T held a nama and he sang for us! So of course I forced myself to stay awake and watch it all (and record it coughcough I'm such a stalker)! Thing is, this was at 1 AM... and since I couldn't sleep after that, I decided to just finish up this chapter early, so here ya go. ;D

The drama's actually starting now! Yay! Most chapters before were mostly setting a basis for everything to come (sorry for the boring-ness). Now all the drama is going to start~ Beware unrequited love, broken hearts and much character self-questioning, my dear readers. And, er, probably more kissing. XD

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

6} attack

.

.

_that something so simple could become something so significant…_

.

"Sakura-chaaaan!" The blond was grinning as he approached her desk, a bounce in his every step. Sakura actually rather envied the boy's vibrant energy that never seemed to cease, but right then she began to feel a little threatened by it.

That mischievous grin—he was up to something, wasn't he?

"Hello, Uzumaki-san," she replied stiffly. Other people in the classroom were turning to look at them curiously, she noticed, and she bit her lip. "Since when was Haruno friends with Naruto-kun?" Sakura could hear a few girls whispering.

"Just call me Naruto," he told her with a dismissive wave; Sakura's expression remained carefully blank. "Anyway, I wanted to ask, do you want to eat lunch with us?"

She gave him an inquisitive look. "By 'us', who do you mean?" she asked.

"Oh, the usual bunch of people," Naruto said, shrugging.

"I don't know what 'usual bunch' entails."

He cocked his head a little. "Mm, well… The bastard, for one," he said, referring to Sasuke. "And uh… Kiba, Shikamaru… Chouji… er…"

Sakura only recognized Nara Shikamaru—he was a genius, but incredibly lazy, so much that he often failed tests by sleeping through them and yet making 100's on the makeup tests afterwards.

And he was close friends with Yamanaka Ino.

Sakura pressed her lips together.

"Well, there's a lot of us. You'll see once we get there," Naruto said brightly, and grabbed her arm. Sakura flinched at his casual touch, but he didn't seem to notice. "Let's go!" He started pulling her to the door.

She struggled against his hold as he dragged her into the hallway but it was useless; had she always been so weak? "Uzumaki-san, I'd really rather not—" _And please get your hand off me!_

"Oi, get your hand off her."

The blond stopped and turned around at the sound of the deep voice; Sakura mimicked him and they both gazed quizzically at Sasuke, who had appeared behind them in the hallway. His dark eyes were slightly narrowed as he stepped up to the pair and forcibly pulled Sakura's arm away from Naruto's hold.

"Don't touch what belongs to me," he said coldly. He put a hand on Sakura's shoulder and pulled her towards him so her back was pressed against his chest.

Naruto's expression was dumbfounded. "Huh?"

Sasuke wrapped his arms around the girl's shoulders. "She's mine. What are you doing, trying to drag her away alone with you?" he asked, his voice near a growl.

Sakura glared up at him. "Don't treat me like an object!" she said angrily, but the vampire pretended he was deaf. He always acted this way, causing misunderstandings—this morning her shoe locker had been nearly overflowing with the piles of threatening message demanding she stay away from him. Several girls walking by them in the hallway openly glared at her.

She turned her gaze to Naruto. The blond just gazed at her for a moment blankly. There was a small silence, and then Naruto suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh, I get it! You're jealous!" he cried, pointing a finger at his best friend.

Sasuke's arms simply tightened around Sakura in response. She, meanwhile, rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't doing anything bad, really," Naruto said, once his laughter had calmed down a bit. "I just wanted to surprise you by bringing her to eat lunch with us."

Sasuke looked down at the girl in his arms. "Aa?" She directed her green eyes at the floor, blatantly avoiding his piercing gaze. "I like that idea, actually."

Sakura remained quiet, trying to ignore the thumping of her chest—she was sure Sasuke could feel it, too. She was nervous. Uncomfortable. Scared. And yet… the feeling of his arms around her gave her a kind of warmth, like—like—they were somehow connected deep inside, or…

As if she loved him.

So this was the power of their soul connection, she mused, a little bitterly. _I see why consorts tend to be lovers, now. _Though her mind was perfectly in control, it seemed her body was a puppet, the strings in the hands of the vampire whose arms were around her shoulders; everything was aching for his touch, for his teeth to sink into her throat… and claim her as his.

It seemed her body really did belong to him.

He pressed his lips to her ear, breaking her out of her thought processes. "_Say you'll eat lunch with us, Sakura_," he breathed, exhaling heat that made her shiver.

"I'll eat lunch with you," she answered immediately.

Her eyes widened and she clapped a hand over her mouth. She looked up at Sasuke angrily, her green gaze accusing.

Sasuke just smirked.

"Don't control me!" she hissed.

His only response to that was to drop his arms from around her. He placed his hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward. "_Come, Sakura._"

And so she did, her body under his control.

Naruto grinned once he saw the two walking. "You're coming! This is awesome! Everybody's been wondering who Sasuke's girl is, so now you can meet them all!"

'Sasuke's girl' only glowered at the floor as her feet involuntarily continued forward. How dare the Uchiha control her like this? Some day she would have to interrogate him about his abilities as a vampire. It seemed like he was able to control her physically when it came to making her to do actions, and he also seemed to have the power to "captivate"—make a woman (or did that include men as well?) think they wanted him.

Because that first night…

Sakura almost shivered. Up until that evening she had stumbled upon his secret, ever since winter, she hadn't 'wanted' anybody—hadn't wanted to feel a man's touch, hadn't even considered the idea of falling in love again or getting a boyfriend, or even just allowing a man to lay a finger on her. Yet here she was, her next door neighbor's big hand pressed against a spot on her back.

And she wasn't fighting it.

.

.

_if only I knew then…_

.

"So you're Haruno Sakura?"

"Are you sure you don't want to eat more, Sakura?"

"Hey, Sakura, try some of these! They're really good!"

Sakura blinked a couple times. Since when had she given them permission to call her by her name?

They were all very friendly, the nine of them, these friends of Naruto and Sasuke. Sakura looked at them each in turn warily. She knew all their names—they were the "popular" group at school, of that much she was aware, and even as she sat here on the ridiculously huge blanket with the rest of them, many of the passing students cast her angry, envious looks.

_It's not my fault I'm here, _she thought, growing irritated. _It's this bastard's. _Her green eyes flickered to the dark-haired boy sitting beside her, whose attention was currently taken by a certain female blonde.

"Sasuke-kun, go _aa_~ for me!" Yamanaka Ino said with a seductive smile, holding up an egg roll with her chopsticks, which the vampire turned his head away from. "Ne, you need to eat more, you know," she scolded, pouting pink lips. "You hardly ever eat."

Sakura turned her gaze to her lap. Even now, Ino was the same—fussing over the boy she liked. _She hasn't changed at all since then. _Sakura sighed, as vague memories of their elementary school years flashed by in her mind. She doubted Ino even remembered her—they had been "reunited" once high school for the first time in years, but Ino hadn't even spared her glance. Then again, Ino might've just decided to push Sakura out of her life.

_It was for the best_, Sakura inwardly sighed. _Not that it really matters anymore._

"Hey, hey, guys! I have this super awesome plan that I want to tell you all!" The other eleven seated in the shadow of the tree turned to look at Naruto, who had risen to his feet and was now peering at them all with a huge grin. "So, we haven't done anything big together since graduating from middle school, so I say we do something this summer break! It starts next week and all, so we gotta start planning now!"

Half the group rolled their eyes. "Oh, I like that idea!" Ino said enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. "I say we go to the beach!"

"The beach!" Naruto's expression seemed to begin sparkling. "The beach, the beach! Yeah, let's go to the beach! Who's up for it?" He gave the group an expectant sweep of his blue eys.

The Hyuuga girl spoke up hesitantly. "I- I would be very h-happy to go…"

"Hinata! Great! I knew you would, you're always so energetic about this kind of thing!" He smiled at her, and the dark-haired girl turned a bright red. Everybody pretended not to notice—Hyuuga Hinata's crush was evident to everybody but the man of her infatuation himself. Sakura wanted to shake her head at his obliviousness.

"Well, if Hinata's going, I'll go," Inuzuka Kiba said, raising a hand and baring a rather feral-looking smile. He had sharp molars (almost like Sasuke's, Sakura mused) that gave him a wild, dog-like appearance, but despite his undomesticated aura, he was actually quite popular among the girls of Konoha. It was also quite clear that he had a soft spot for his childhood friend—as did Aburame Shino, who nodded for his own confirmation when Naruto turned his bright cerulean gaze towards him.

"Shikamaru and Chouji are coming too, of course!" Ino said in a singsong voice, and the two boys shot her looks but didn't argue it.

"I want to go, too," the third girl who wore her brown hair in two buns spoke up, raising a slim hand up high. "And Neji'll come too of course, right, Neji?" She took hold of the Hyuuga boy's sleeve with her other hand. In response, he just tiredly closed his pale eyes.

"If Tenten and Neji are so inclined to go, I must as well!" Rock Lee cried, his hands in two excited fists and his round eyes even rounder than usual with excitement.

"So that's everybody!" Naruto said proudly. "So, now all we gotta do is decide when we'll go and where to exactly—"

"I'm not going."

Everybody stopped to turn and stare. Sasuke just leaned back, his hands pressing into the blanket. One of them light brushed against Sakura's. She was quick to pull hers away and into her lap, but she didn't miss the small smirk he wore as she did so.

"_What!_" Naruto screeched, and pointed an accusing finger at his best friend. "What do you mean you're not going? We're all going!"

His cool response was a simple, "I'll go if Sakura goes."

Now all eleven pairs of eyes turned to look at her. Sakura paled. _Oh, no no no no no no way. No way in hell—_

"Well, of course Sakura-chan'll go! Right, Sakura-chan?" Naruto turned to her and his blue eyes were pleading.

She froze. "Er…" She forced her eyes away from the innocent cerulean. "I don't really—"

Sasuke breathed in her ear. "_Say you'll come, Sakura,_" he said, his lips moving against her ear.

"I'll go," she said, against her will. Her hands clenched into fists and she grit her teeth as she gave the boy sitting beside her one of her most frightening glares. He didn't seem to notice.

"This is perfect! I'll show you how good I look in a bathing suit, Sasuke-kun!" Ino said, taking hold of his arm. "I just got a new bikini, too."

Sakura just sighed. _Damn it._ She was being forced to go on a trip with the loudest group of people she had ever had the misfortune to be stuck with—there was no way it would be peaceful; no doubt Sasuke would harass her in some way. She glanced at him, seeing his indifferent interaction with the smiling blonde that grasped his arm and was giving him her most charming smile.

…And what was with this jealousy stirring in her chest?

.

.

_things were beginning to roll in a direction nobody expected_

.

"He's here again!"

"Haruka, you're going for him again?"

"Of course I am!"

Sakura just sighed as she tied on her apron. This time he'd come promptly at five. Was he seriously planning on sitting there and watching her for the entirety of three hours? Why was he so insistent on keeping an eye on her? Wasn't it just a little too strange how much he 'stalked' her like this?

She shook her head and headed out, after making sure she didn't have to serve his table.

.

.

_nosy bastard_

.

"Why did you come again?" Sakura asked him as they walked the way home, giving him a suspicious glower.

"It's fun to see you being a waitress." He slid his hands into his pockets and smirked.

That wasn't it, though. Sakura could just feel it—he was hiding something. She could see it in the way he didn't quite meet her eyes, and his crooked smile held a bit of anxiety in it. "…Whatever." Well, it wasn't any of her business, right?

"You really don't care?" he questioned, eyebrows raised.

"More like I don't think it's necessary to w—_Guh!_"

Her breath was cut off as something had grabbed her neck; an arm? Sakura struggled against the strong hold, clawing wildly at the pale skin in a futile attempt to get free.

What was going on?

Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and she looked towards Sasuke, trying to make sense of what was happening. He continued to stand where he was with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He let out a deep sigh, dark eyes closed. "I knew you'd be here within the week," he said.

"Good evening, Sasuke," said the voice in Sakura's ear. A… woman?

"What do you want, Tayuya?" Sasuke asked, and opened his eyes. The dark irises seemed to glow red, but not from craving blood. Sakura shivered a little, again made all too aware of the fact that her next door neighbor wasn't human.

"The hell, isn't it obvious?" The woman named Tayuya moved her arm a little bit to expose a part of Sakura's neck before bending her head and flicking her tongue against the pale skin.

Sakura's eyes widened as she finally understood the implication of the gesture. This woman half-strangling her was a vampire, too, wasn't she?

"I came here to kill your little bride, Sasuke," Tayuya growled.

"B-bride?" Sakura stammered. _What the hell is a bride?_

Tayuya ignored her. "Huh. You did the exchange already, didn't you?" she asked Sasuke. "I can feel your presence in her." She pulled Sakura's cheek with her free hand and Sakura suppressed the urge to shriek.

His dark eyes watched coldly. "Get your hands off her," was all he said in reponse.

"No way." Tayuya laughed; Sakura felt the heat of the woman's breath against her neck. She cringed. "Why would you make a human your bride, Sasuke? Are you that desperate? Ah, or is that you're trying to make yourself feel more human?" More bitter, condescending laughter. "You're a vampire, Sasuke. Why do you keep trying to run away from that fact? Choosing this human…"

Dark eyes narrowed. "Why I chose her is none of your business. Now let her go."

"What if I don't, _Sasuke-kun_?" The words were taunting. "Make me your bride instead. You know I'm suited better for that than this bitch here. You're Orochimaru-sama's favorite… If I become your bride, it'll put me in his favor so much more. It'll benefit both of us, c'mon. Think about it."

"I _left_." The black gaze was frightening. "I'm not part of that society anymore."

But Tayuya wasn't intimidated. "He doesn't think of it that way. He expects you to return, you know."

"I won't."

"Either he or I'll make you, then," she replied arrogantly.

His eyes became slits of anger; his handsome face contorted in an expression of pure fury. "You have five seconds to let Sakura go, Tayuya, or _I will kill you_."

Tayuya snorted and pressed her lips against Sakura's neck. The older woman opened her mouth; for a second, there was only heat. Then Sakura felt the woman's long fangs impaling her throat, a sharp, quick thrust: a hot rush of pain shot through Sakura's body and suddenly—

All she could see was black.


	7. development

[A/N] So I wrote out the entire basic plotline for _Shelter_ yesterday (before I had it as a jumbled bunch of sticky notes), and I realized how complex this story really is... (^-^;) I kind of regret putting so much into it, but I guess you guys will appreciate all the drama, right? :D

Anyway... LEGNA! You too, I'd love for you to get an account so I can reply. For now I'll tell you this: _Don't worry_. ;) The theme of this story is "accepting and moving on", after all.

On another note: Seems like almost nobody knows who Tayuya is, XD She's the flute player that Shika fights in the Sasuke retrieval arc. You know, with the dirty mouth? Oh, well, it's not that important. Regardless, here's the next chapter! Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

7} development

.

.

_there is always more to the story than what is told_

.

"Protective, aren't you?" Tayuya laughed. "Gotten soft for the human? Her blood tastes so gross, though." She spat on the concrete. "Bleh. You have terrible taste in girls."

Sasuke gripped the unconscious girl tightly in his arms. Only a second longer, and Tayuya might've injected the metamorphosing venom or bitten entirely though Sakura's throat; he had grabbed his next door neighbor away barely in time. "_Leave,_ Tayuya, or I will really kill you," he growled.

"Let's see if you can," she said, baring her sharp teeth. Her fangs were huge, much bigger than Sasuke's—even if he didn't regularly grind his down to keep them less noticeable for school, he was sure hers would still be bigger as the woman was quite a few years older than he was.

But he had been chosen as Orochimaru's disciple for a reason.

He gently set Sakura down onto the concrete. "You have until I count to ten to get out of my sight," he said calmly, "before I attack."

"Oh?" She licked her lips in anticipation.

She shouldn't have been so cocky. He began the mental countdown. _Ten._ "Orochimaru taught me much more than politics," he told her.

Her dark eyes narrowed. _Nine._ "…You don't mean—"

"The existence of vampires began with experiments on humans way back, after all," he said, and met her eyes_. Eight._ "Humankind can't do magic anymore; that power was lost centuries ago. But the curse remains on vampires, even now…" _Seven._ He ran a hand through his dark hair. "And with a curse thousands of years old, the memory of magic remains. It can't really be called 'magic' now, though… More like… supernatural power?" He smirked. S_ix._

"…Orochimaru-sama has discovered how to use it?" Tayuya's words were rushed with disbelief. _Five. _"Is that how he controls us all?"

"He uses it all the time." Sasuke let out a sigh. _Four._ "And so can I."

She seemed to freeze. "So that's why—_that's why_ he's so afraid of you! I thought he just felt threatened but you—you also have the ability?" _Three._

Finally, she was beginning to sound frightened. The sight of the woman's scared expression spread a strange sense of glee through him—the instincts of his predator body were beginning to spark. _Two._ "Shall I prove it to you?" he asked, his voice deep and seductive. He slowly stepped towards her.

_One._

"_Don't move, Tayuya._"

Tayuya's eyes flashed wide. She struggled to move but it was impossible; her body refused to listen. "You can control?" she hissed.

"Of course," he replied. He stepped up to her and wrapped his hands around her throat. His synchronization aptitude was weak, but he still had it—his older brother Itachi had, as well, he thought sullenly, before he had been killed.

After all, the Uchiha family had been pureblood vampire up until Uchiha Fugaku, Sasuke's father, fell in love with a human.

"I'm basically royalty within the vampire society because of my lineage, you know, even though I was born human," Sasuke said casually. One of his hands held her chin up and away as he brought his mouth close to the woman's throat. "Even more so because it was the sovereign Orochimaru himself that bit me. So, shall I kill you here and now? Nobody will even question it, will they?"

"You fucking Uchiha," Tayuya snarled.

He flicked his tongue against her skin. "You should watch that dirty mouth of yours. You're only giving me more reason to kill you." Without another word, he sunk his teeth deep into her throat. The crimson blood trickled down her neck, bright red contrasting with her pale skin. Sasuke licked it off with his tongue. "Ugh, your blood isn't alluring at all," he said with a grimace and immediately pulled away, spitting on the ground. His saliva was mixed with her blood, glistening scarlet against the gray sidewalk. "There's no way I would choose you to be my bride when your blood tastes so repulsive."

He released his control over her, and she immediately jumped away, one of her hands pressed against her neck to staunch the blood flow. The way Tayuya was wincing made it obvious that she was in serious pain.

Sasuke suppressed the urge to break out into amused laughter. The fact he was enjoying this so much was the tiniest bit frightening.

"I'll get you for this some day," Tayuya hissed. Her eyes focused on the girl lying on the concrete a few feet away; the dark irises began glowing red with the urge to draw blood.

"You dare come after Sakura again and I really will murder you," Sasuke warned her, slipping his hands into his pockets. "And be sure to tell Orochimaru I will_ not _be coming back... at least not until I turn eighteen, like we decided."

She snapped her head back towards his direction, and with a low pitted growl, she gave him one last glare before leaping away into the dark night.

.

.

_because I will protect her_

.

When Sakura woke up, it was 4:32 AM.

Her neck had a dull pain in it, but other than that, she felt intact. She blinked a few times, her eyes adjusting to the dim lighting. She was in Sasuke's bedroom again, she realized as she looked around. She turned her head to see her next door neighbor in the same position as the night before, with his head in his arms over the edge of the bed.

"Sasuke-kun…?" It was said hesitantly, quietly.

He didn't answer, being sound asleep.

Sakura climbed out of the bed, careful to avoid hitting him. She knew she wasn't strong enough to heave him onto the bed, so she laid a couple of the bed's blankets on the floor along with the pillow to make a makeshift futon on the ground. She reached for his shoulders so she could position him onto it, but as she tried to push him down, his dark eyes shot open. He grabbed her arm instinctively as he fell onto his back and they landed on top of each other over the blankets.

"Sa…kura…?" he mumbled, his lips somewhere around her neck.

"…Sorry." Her cheeks turned a faint red and she began climbing off of him. "I didn't mean to wake you up…"

He simply gazed at her for a moment, and then, silently, he reached and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her back towards his chest and hugged her close to his body. Unexpectedly, it was very warm, Sakura couldn't help but admit, and actually comfortable in his arms. She didn't feel threatened by his intimate touch; instead, she felt safe like this. Secure.

…Loved.

"Sasuke-kun…?" she whispered, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

His eyes closed. "Just stay like this for a moment…" he muttered. He still sounded sleepy.

But she needed to know what was going on. "Sasuke-kun… what was that earlier?"

"Hm?"

"The woman named Tayuya…" She'd fallen unconsciousness because of the pain; there were a thousand different scenarios that could've occurred after that. "What happened?"

He opened his eyes a little. The irises looked darker than usual with the lack of light in his room. "Nothing for you to worry about," he said sternly.

"Did you… kill her?"

He exhaled softly. "No," he answered. "She ran away."

"…Am I vampire now?" Sakura asked him hesitantly. She'd gotten bitten, so— could she be…? But she felt no urge for blood, either.

Sasuke blinked a couple times, and then the corners of his lips curved up. Sakura watched in mute fascination as his lips parted and—

He let out a carefree laugh.

Sakura's eyes widened a little as the sound. She had never heard him laugh so sincerely before as he did now. It sounded so genuine, so heartfelt. "No," he told her, grinning. Sakura could see the tips of his fangs. "You're not. If Tayuya had actually injected the venom, you wouldn't be able to move right now."

"Eh?"

"You'd be frozen for a while, as if you were dead, and you'd be in serious pain. The change takes a few days to occur, anyway." His eyes held both amusement and a slight trace of past hurt as he spoke. Sakura watched him silently. His own change into a vampire must have been very painful.

She decided to change the subject. "What did she mean by me being your… bride?" The words sounded so strange on her tongue. She was only fifteen years old, after all—saying she was a 'bride' was an awkward concept for her to imagine.

His embrace tightened. "It's just another name for a consort," he said.

"Does that mean you're my…" She paused. "My groom?"

"No," he said, sounding like he was about to laugh again. "That sounds stupid."

True, Sakura agreed. "But…why are we called consorts anyway?"

"Why don't you sleep, Sakura?" he said, trying to avoid the question. "We have school, you know."

"You said yourself that our lives are mingled now, didn't you? Our souls are entwined, or whatever. Explain this to me so if I get… attacked again, at least I'll know what the hell is going on." She met his eyes and stubbornly stared at him until he gave in with a sigh.

"We exchanged pieces of our souls, like I said."

"Is that the 'exchange' she was talking about?"

"Yes."

"So then those who do exchange—they're consorts with their partners?"

"Pretty much."

Sakura swallowed. "Why are partners called 'consorts'? It's a little strange, isn't it?" Almost as if the exchange were a wedding contract—

"For vampires, the exchange is pretty much the equivalent to marriage. Your entire lives are entwined together until death, after all."

Sakura blinked a couple times. For a minute, there was silence in the room as the information settled into her brain. When she finally spoke, the words were dark and halting. "…Marriage," she echoed slowly. "The equivalent. To _marriage_, you say."

"Aa," he replied simply.

"So, you mean I'm pretty much your… wife now?" Her voice trembled a little.

"…Something like that," was his murmured reply.

She suppressed the overpowering urge to utterly bash his face in and instead inquired, "Is that why that woman tried to kill me earlier?"

He sighed. "Yes."

"What would benefit her by becoming your… bride?" Sakura scrunched her face in an expression of confusion and disgust.

He turned his face a little deeper into the blanket. "Who knows," he muttered.

Sakura pondered the idea. Perhaps Tayuya was just another fangirl? Although she'd spoken about some person named Orochimaru… _And said she was going to kill me. _Would there be more vampires coming after her in order to take her place as Sasuke's 'bride'?

Sakura was hit with a realization. "Is that why you've been keeping on an eye on me this entire week?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her, his face expressionless. They gazed silently at each other for a long moment, Sasuke's dark eyes telling all that needed to be said.

"Why?" Sakura asked him in a whisper.

He closed his eyes again. "_Go to sleep, Sakura_," he said, using his ability to control.

And so she did.

.

.

_why did you protect me?_

.

Sasuke let out a sigh as he quietly held the sleeping girl in his arms. Her even breathing against his collarbones was warm, he thought. And she should really gain some weight; her figure felt so tiny in his arms.

She seemed so fragile like this, so easily broken.

His eyes softened. Sakura was his consort… he had to protect her, that was only right. She was supplying him the blood he needed to survive; the least he could do was keep her safe. After all, it was his selfishness that had forced his next door neighbor into this situation. He had made her into his consort without telling her the dangers behind it. But if he hadn't… The dark eyes narrowed. Orochimaru would've forced him to exchange with some vampire under his control soon enough, that was for sure. When Sakura had offered to be his 'partner', he had immediately agreed.

There was nobody she would tell, she being such a quiet presence at school. In fact, there was nobody she _could_ tell. There wasn't a single person who would listen to her if she told anybody he was a vampire. Furthermore, she lived right next door. It was convenient settings and luck that had led her to him, he believed, and it would have been stupid not to take the chance.

So, he had committed the painful exchange, his soul torn in two and one half inserted into the girl's body, and part of her own entered into his.

Even if she was psycho, he'd thought, she was better than some vampire woman who would be constantly reporting on him to Orochimaru—or even committing the exchange with Orochimaru himself.

Sasuke almost shuddered at the thought of exchanging a piece of his soul with the older vampire. The concept was repulsive in any angle he looked at it, but it was a serious issue to consider. Orochimaru, after all, felt threatened by Sasuke's power over the other vampires; committing the exchange with him would force Sasuke into a more submissive position in which he would be rendered unable to usurp Orochimaru's 'throne' as sovereign.

Sasuke began tracing circles absentmindedly over Sakura's shoulder blade with his index finger. There would definitely be more envious vampires coming after Sakura in the future, desiring her place as the consort of one of the most influential vampires of the society, and some perhaps under Orochimaru's orders. They would all be coming with the intent to kill. Should they kill this girl, however, he would lose a large part of his life span… as well as carry the burden of her being murdered for the rest of time until he died himself.

Sasuke grit his teeth at the thought. He had left that goddamn society years ago; why did everybody still think he was part of it? He hadn't once come back since he'd abandoned that place to return to normal "human" life with Kakashi, and Orochimaru himself had granted them permission to remain "outside" until Sasuke's eighteenth birthday. There were still a little more than two more years until then.

The telltale black mark hidden under his hair on the back of his neck remained as a permanent reminder of his service under Orochimaru, but Sasuke had no wish to return to the vampire society, even if his position there had been one of the highest of their kind. There was nothing for him there. Becoming a leader of the vampires wasn't something he had ever seriously considered, even if everybody else expected him to do so.

But did Orochimaru still plan on making him the next vampire sovereign?

Sasuke closed his eyes and willed himself to fall asleep, unwilling to think about it anymore.

.

.

_but it wasn't something he could ignore forever_

.

"So since the Inn's owner is a friend of Jiraiya's, he said we could stay there for free!" Naruto finished with a flourishing gesture of his arm. "Isn't it great?"

"You're pretty lucky to have Jiraiya for a godfather, Naruto," Ino said wistfully. "I'm jealous."

"Eh? But he's so perverted!"

"He's such a famous novelist, though. It's like he knows _everybody_ so he's got connections everywhere."

"Ehh, I guess it's kind of helpful sometimes. But seriously, he's so perverted! Just the other day, he brought back this weird…"

Sakura let out a sigh. Somehow she had been dragged into eating lunch with the Konoha 11 again (she had discovered that this was the group's nickname after passing a group of gossiping classmates) and it was just like yesterday: as wild and disorganized as ever.

"How long are we going to stay there, though?" Tenten asked Naruto once the conversation had drifted back to the trip's planning.

Naruto just shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "How long _should _we stay?"

"I say a week!" Ino answered enthusiastically.

"No way, I say we only stay there for one night and leave the next day," Kiba said. "I can't leave Akamaru alone for an entire week by himself."

"You're too obsessed with that dog of yours," Ino retorted. "C'mon, Akamaru can live for a week without you."

The dark eyes narrowed. "He'll get lonely!"

Pale blue did also. "He's a freaking _dog_!"

"Oh, shut up, guys," Naruto said, pouting. They both leered at him and he shook his head wearily. Sakura thought the gesture was rather ironic, as he was the one who'd started all of this. She resisted the urge to sigh again just as he turned and asked, "Well, what do you think, Sakura-chan?" He gave her a bright grin, cerulean eyes meeting her green.

Sakura blinked. "Uh… er…" She said the first thing that came to mind. "Three days?"

The blond cocked his head. "Actually, that sounds pretty good. Three days… What do you guys say?" He turned to face the rest of the group.

Most of them shrugged or grunted for reply. Ino and Kiba sighed and agreed to compromise.

"Then three days it is!" he said. "Get packing! We'll meet up Sunday afternoon at the front of the train station, okay?"

"N-naruto-kun, I'm very excited for it..."

"That's the spirit, Hinata!" Naruto slapped her shoulder playfully just as she was taking a sip from her juice box. She made a strange squeaky noise and proceeded to choke on her apple juice. Kiba immediately began pounding her back and the poor girl turned a bright shade of red from the pain and humiliation. Her cousin Neji then took action, pushing aside the other boys surrounding her and prudently handing her his bottle of water, which she took and drank from gratefully.

"You don't hit people when they're drinking their apple juice, you retard!"

"Stop being so uptight Kiba, it was a mistake, alright? I was just thinking she was cute! Geez!"

"You will _not _refer to my cousin as 'cute' when you are in my presence, Uzumaki."

"Oh, c'mon! Now you're calling me 'Uzumaki'? I didn't mean to make you choke, Hinata, you know that, right?"

"The end result is that you _did_, however."

"Yeah, what Neji said!"

"Guys, it was a freaking accident! You're taking this way out of proportion—"

"Apologize to her, you dumbass!"

"Apologize to her."

"N-no!" Hinata turned an even darker red, mortification making her stammer worse than usual. "I'm—I'm okay! R-r-really!"

"No, it's not! What if you choked to death, Hinata? Shino would cry!" At that, said dark-haired boy turned and gave Kiba a deep, sharp gaze from behind his dark glasses. Kiba quickly amended his statement. "Er, I meant, if you died, _everybody _would be sad... yeah!"

Sakura closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. How the hell did Sasuke-kun remain sane when dealing with this every day? Especially with that blond idiot… She sighed and made a mental note for herself. For sure, Naruto was the one person she should most avoid if she wanted a peaceful life.

.

.

_I didn't know then… that Naruto would be one of the biggest players in our game of life_

.

"Sakura, since when were you so close to Naruto and Sasuke-kun?"

The green eyes narrowed slightly. "I'm not close to them, Ino."

"Maybe not Naruto, but definitely Sasuke-kun," Ino said, crossing her arms. "What's going on?"

Sakura took a look around. They were at the end of an empty hallway; if she wanted, she could make a dash for it. But she didn't. Because even now, Sakura couldn't help but admire this blonde and want to hear everything she had to say.

"I'm not going to steal him away from you," Sakura said, "if that's what you're worried about."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Ino replied, and moved her hands to her hips. "I'm worried about you."

"…Me?"

"We're friends. Aren't we?"

"We ended our friendship years ago—"

That hit a nerve. "That was _you!_" Ino's voice raised to a near yell. "_You_ suddenly decided we weren't friends anymore, just because of a stupid boy—was our friendship so meaningless to you? I seriously cared so much about you, and you just threw it away over some guy! I would've gladly given him up for you, my crush wasn't even that serious!"

_Our friendship was the most important thing in the world_, Sakura thought, but she couldn't say it. "I had my reasons." _I was scared…_

"Then you suddenly moved away after graduating elementary school, and I never saw you again until high school started. Sakura, I still want to be friends. I… I have Shika and Chouji now, but… they're not… they're not you, you know?" The blonde huffed, her cheeks a little pink. "I miss you."

She looked at the floor. "That's sweet and all, but—"

"Sakura, you're always like this!" Ino pointed an accusing finger at the other girl's chest. "Thinking you won't fit in and running away from everything!"

"I'm not—" Her eyes widened at the realization. It was true; all Sakura ever did was run away. She fell silent and her gaze turned to the tiles of the floor.

"What happened to you, Sakura?" Ino's blue eyes softened. "Something happened in middle school, right? I heard you're living by yourself now…"

"It's none of your business."

"You screamed at that boy earlier this year, too." The blonde sighed. "At first I wasn't sure you were you, because you've changed so much, but I have never met anybody else in my life that has your hair color. Sakura, tell me what happened to you. I'm worried, okay?"

Sakura avoided the piercing blue gaze. "Nothing happened."

"Where are your parents? I know they didn't get along well but..."

At this, Sakura maneuvered herself around Ino and began walking away. She was sure Ino would follow after her, but the blonde didn't, probably knowing that Sakura needed her space.

"Sakura, you can't keep these things secret forever," the blonde called after her. "Eventually you're going to have the share the burden. Stop trying to be strong by yourself. It's okay to depend on other people, you know. The day is going to come when you can't keep it to yourself anymore and you're going to have to tell _somebody_!"

_But that day is not today, _Sakura mentally countered, and turned the corner away from sight. That kind of thing... as if she would ever want to tell somebody about it. And there would never be someone she would want to tell, either.

At least, that's what she convinced herself.


	8. kiss

[A/N] ( ; _ ;) Thank you so much to people who review this, seriously. You make me cry with happiness. What makes me the most eager to continue writing this fic are you lovely people who spend the extra moment to review… Some of you even review every chapter! It makes me really, really, ridiculously happy that you guys would take the time to consider my feelings and do that for me. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

Here is the next chapter for you all… Happy reading~

Warning: You guys are so gonna hate me for this...

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

8} kiss

.

.

_some things are better off untold_

.

"You're not swimming?" Sasuke asked her, as he took a seat beside her on the blanket. A large umbrella stood over their heads, stuck deep into the sand, casting a cool shadow over them and the blanket over which they sat.

"No," Sakura answered, and put her arms around her knees. She gazed down at the sparkling ocean, a little longingly, as she watched the boys of their group competing in childish swimming races and the girls playing a game of volleyball in the sand together.

He took a relaxed position, his legs stretched out in front of him and his hands holding him up from behind. "Why?"

"I didn't bring a swimsuit." _I don't even own one, _she added mentally.

"Then why don't you go play volleyball with the other girls?"

"…You need to ask? You forced me to come along when I don't even know anybody." Ino and Naruto didn't count.

He smirked. "I thought it'd be fun to spend some time with you over summer break."

"Because I'm your possession?" she inquired drily.

"Sure, that, and…" He turned and put a hand on her chin, and made her turn her head towards him. "You're afraid of being alone, aren't you?" he said softly. "Especially after what happened last Monday… I shouldn't really leave you by yourself."

She broke their eye contact. "Why aren't you swimming?" she asked, her green gaze focused on a spot above his right shoulder.

He released her chin and put his hand back down beside him. He was in his swimming suit, a modest design of dark blue shorts. Its simplicity only made his lean, pale body look all the more spectacular, evidenced by how several girls passing by gave him second and blatantly flirtatious glances.

"It's tiring to be in that much sunlight," he said, giving a pointed glance towards the sun. "Plus, I can't swim."

She shot him a skeptical look. "Seriously?" she asked.

"Yes." He sounded resigned.

Sakura's lips curved into a little smile.

"It's not funny," he said, his voice holding a warning. "My parents never taught me."

The green eyes softened a little. "Well, I know how to kill you now…" she said lightly.

His gaze became tinged with slight worry, she was amused to see. "You know, if I die, you're going to shorten your life," he said.

"I never said I wanted to kill you," she replied.

He cocked his head a little. "Oh?" His tone was suddenly smug, as was his smirk.

Sakura automatically looked away, her light mood suddenly somber again.

At that, he edged his body towards hers so they were sitting right beside each other. Putting one arm around her shoulders, he leaned so close Sakura could feel him breathing on her skin.

"Why do you keep doing this, Sasuke-kun?" she asked, still not looking at him.

"What do you mean?"

Her tone was bitter. "Like… kissing me, and holding me. Is it fun for you? Do you really miss having a girl's company that much?"

He smirked. "I like to see how far I can go without you stopping me." With that, Sakura suddenly found herself lying on the ground, her head off the towel. She could feel the little pieces of sand clinging to the long strands of her hair. The sudden exposure to sunlight after sitting in the umbrella's shade was momentarily blinding; after her eyes adjusted, she could see how her next door neighbor looked in the bright sun.

The sunlight gave his hair a warmer, almost brown color, and the slight shadows of his features made him look like a living Renaissance sculpture.

Absolutely breathtaking.

"Get off," she said coldly, turning her gaze to the side. His hands were pinning her wrists to the ground and it hurt to have her arms pressed into the rough sand.

"I don't want to." He moved over on top of her and placed one knee between her legs, making their position suddenly more intimate.

"Get off, Sasuke-kun!" She struggled against his hold, her breathing growing a little shallower with each passing moment. Breathtaking indeed, she thought cynically—he was making it hard for her to breathe out of fear.

"Nope." He leaned in close and their noses brushed. A few passersby looked at the pair with disdain at their public intimacy. Sasuke bent his head and licked her cheek, dragging his tongue against the soft skin. She tasted slightly of salt, probably from the air.

He then flit his tongue into her ear.

Her green eyes widened. "_Get off_!" she screamed, so loudly several people around them turned to stare at them. Sasuke immediately let her go. She scrambled away from him, rubbing off his saliva from her cheek with the back of hand.

Those emerald eyes were full of fear.

"You don't need to kiss me or—or do anything like that, do you? I'm not here for that! I just…" She seemed to lose all the energy in her small body. "You don't… need to do that, do you?"

His voice was quiet. "Sakura…" He crawled towards her slowly and put his hand over hers. "I can do this." He moved his hand to lightly caress her cheek. "I can do this, too." He leaned in closer; their noses brushed. "And I can even kiss you. But any further than that, you start to panic."

She refused to meet his dark gaze.

Sighing, he rose to his feet. "I wish you would trust me more, Sakura," he said softly.

She just dropped her head and mutely brushed away the bits of sand covering her legs as he turned and walked away.

How could she trust him when all he did was toy with her?

.

.

_I'm scared of you, you know_

.

"Sakura-chan, do you want some ice cream?" Naruto held out a cone full of vanilla ice cream and covered in chocolate and multicolored sprinkles as he took a seat beside her on the blanket, where Sasuke had sat about an hour ago.

She inconspicuously edged a little away, and her eyes flickered to the left. The Uchiha vampire was currently sitting under the shade of an umbrella, shared with a couple of girls in bikinis who were flirting with him. His back was turned to her, so she couldn't see his expression, but he seemed rather comfortable there, didn't he?

_The bastard._

She abruptly turned her gaze back to the boy sitting next to her. "…No, I don't really like ice cream," she said.

"Oh, okay." He then cocked his head, an inquisitive gesture. "Something happen to you?" he asked, the blue eyes meeting her green. His were exactly the color of the ocean a few feet way from them.

"Nothing," she replied, looking away again.

"You really don't talk much, do you?" He smiled. "You're so shy, kinda like… like a goat."

Sakura blinked a few times. "A…goat?" she repeated hesitantly.

"Yep. All innocent and small and cute like a goat!" He gave her a brief thumbs-up before stuffing his mouth full of ice cream.

"…Thank… you?" Never before had she thought of a goat as innocent and cute. And neither did she now—what a strange person Sasuke's best friend was.

"Nn prab'm," he mumbled, and swallowed down his ice cream before continuing, "Man, but I never would've thought that the bastard would suddenly find a girl. He was always a player, you know? He was like that even in middle school."

Sakura gazed out at the blueness of the ocean. "…How did you two become friends?" she asked. He was a vampire, and yet— She turned her head to give Naruto a piercing stare.

Did this boy sitting so relaxed beside her know Sasuke's secret, as well? And if he did, did he know that she knew? Wait—was Naruto a vampire, too? No, he couldn't be; he was tan and he grinned showing his teeth. He didn't have the telltale pointed fangs.

The boy in question seemed a little surprised at the intensity of her gaze. "Ehh, are you curious about Sasuke?" he asked her.

The question caught her off guard. "Uh…"

Naruto burst out into a wide grin. "Oh, I see how it is," he said smugly. "You do like him after all, don't you?"

"No, that's not it…" she trailed off. It wasn't… _affection_, but rather, there was a strange desire to learn more about the boy whose life she was entwined with and who had warned her a few days ago not to wander too far away from him. What was Uchiha Sasuke, exactly? That was what she wanted to know.

"Oh, _suuuuure_." Naruto took another big bite out of his quickly melting ice cream. He swallowed it loudly. "Well, we became friends when… hmm… How did it happen? We got into a huge fight in… winter, was it? Or fall? Well, some time in our first year in middle school and then we both got detention and then after that we were good. Yep. We're real close, him and me, if I do say so myself."

That wasn't much of an explanation, but she accepted it. "…He doesn't keep secrets from you?" she asked.

"Hmm? Well, none that I know of." Naruto lapped up the ice cream melting onto his fingers. "Man, eating ice cream is really hard on the beach because it melts so fast. Say, Sakura-chan, why don't you go play and get a tan?"

"Eh? No, I'm okay—"

The blond was completely oblivious to her refusal. "Oi, Ino! Tenten! Hinata! Sakura-chan and I wanna play too!" Naruto stuffed the last bit of ice cream into his mouth as he stood up and held his unsticky hand out to her.

Sakura simply gazed at it for a moment.

"C'mon," he urged with another big smile. "I won't bite, you know."

She believed his words, surprisingly enough. So she took his hand he helped her to her feet; they walked over to where the other girls waited for them, their red and white beach ball ready to be flung.

And she wondered if she would ever feel as comfortable with Sasuke as she did now, walking with this crazy blond boy who grinned like a monkey.

Sasuke made her nervous, made her heart begin beating faster from a variety of emotions—of which the strongest was fear—he wasn't human, after all. Was it because of that reason that she now felt so much safer lately when with other people? A week ago, she might've flinched from Naruto's touch, but now, after Monday's incident with that Tayuya vampire, she felt remarkably… relaxed. Perhaps being afraid of one thing and then suddenly being faced with something so much more frightening made the former seem less scary?

Either way, she felt more comfortable here than she thought she ever would with her vampire consort.

.

.

_because Sasuke is… different from other people_

.

"Oh, and Sakura-chan, you're really good at volleyball!" Naruto suddenly announced in the middle of dinner.

"…Eh?" Sakura gave the beaming boy sitting to her left a surprised glance.

Naruto's eyes were bright and admiring. "You got every single pass! It was amazing, we even won against Kiba and Neji!"

"Ahh… yeah…" Somehow most of the Konoha 11 had gotten involved with the game and it had become a huge battle of Naruto against Kiba and Neji—the boys denied it, but the reason behind their sudden intense rivalry this afternoon was probably because of Naruto causing Hinata to choke during lunch on Tuesday.

"You're like the goddess of volleyball or something!" the blond said, grinning.

What was with this boy and his strange compliments? "Thank…you?" Her green eyes flickered over to the girl with short dark hair sitting on the other side of the table. Hinata didn't seem to be jealous or anything; instead, she just smiled in agreement.

"I'm… a little envious of your skills, Sakura-chan," Hinata told her softly.

Wouldn't a girl in love with somebody normally get angry when that somebody complimented somebody else? "Don't be," Sakura said quickly, looking down at her lap.

Maybe Hinata's self esteem was even worse than hers… Sakura's gaze softened a little. Hinata was such a nice person, but not just her—this entire group of Naruto and Sasuke's friends were some of the most likable people she'd ever met.

She gave the rest of the table a brief glance. Only now was she feeling that she honestly wouldn't mind spending more time with them. Even the rougher boys like Kiba and Naruto didn't really scare her. She liked their company. It was a bit strange to feel this way after spending a year avoiding people, but it was a kind of a… happy feeling.

Sakura felt her lips curving at the thought.

"You should smile more often, Sakura!" Tenten said loudly, clapping her on the back. "If you gained a bit of weight, you'd be a total knock-out! Right, Neji?" She turned to give the boy beside her a view of her waggling brows.

Neji just sighed. "I have no interest in… _knock-outs_, Tenten," he said, as lifted a bunch of rice to his lips with his chopsticks. He gave her a meaningful gaze, but she was oblivious to the deep emotion in his pale eyes.

"Oh, sure," Tenten said, with a dismissive little wave of her hand. "Yet girls were all over you today. Ah, and all over Sasuke, too." She leaned forward a little to give Sasuke, who sat on Neji's right, a teasing smile. "I saw them trying to tackle you earlier, that was really funny."

Sasuke gave her a small smile. "I'm used to it." He then turned to look pointedly at Ino, who was clinging to his arm.

"Hey, I've never tackled you!" the blonde retorted with a slight pout.

"I've seen you do it at least three times," Chouji said stoically before he solemnly stuffed his mouth full of a huge dumpling.

"That—no way! I never have! Right, Shikamaru?" She gave the boy sitting across her a pleading look. "I haven't!"

Shikamaru wisely remained neutral. "So troublesome," he muttered.

"Shikamaru-kun, saying that everything is troublesome isn't good for your health!" Lee suddenly cried. "You must stay optimistic always! That is what my sensei from the dojo I learned from as child had taught me!"

Sakura just quietly sipped her miso soup as an argument about optimism began between the various boys of the group. In her opinion, Rock Lee tended to be_ too_ optimistic sometimes, but that was probably better than the way she always second-guessed everything.

Her green eyes flickered to where Sasuke sat a few chairs away, Neji and Tenten separating them. And Lee-san was _definitely _preferable to Sasuke. She didn't hate Sasuke, but she hated a lot of what he did to her. All the vampire did was take her blood and treat her like his personal object. She hated that, as well as his cynical personality, and his sadistic way of looking at things, and how he always smirked so arrogantly, and—

She nearly dropped her spoon at the thought.

Most of all, she hated how often her next door neighbor was on her mind.

.

.

_it wasn't love… but it was something stronger than simple curiosity_

.

The vampire grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a corner in an empty hallway as the rest of the group continued heading to their rooms to turn in for the night.

"_Now?_" Sakura asked in a disbelieving whisper. Somebody could stumble on them any minute—was he really that thirsty?

Sasuke's response was to simply drag her collar away with a finger and sink his fangs into her throat without another word.

"…Nn!" She winced as he sucked at her neck. It was silent save for her breathing and the sound of him quietly swallowing her blood. With a small sigh, she tilted her head up and gazed up at the ceiling.

For how long would things remain this way?

"You're taking a lot," she said softly, after she had counted to thirty.

At that, he lifted his head and met her eyes. Crimson dabbed his lips temporarily until he slowly licked her blood off them. "I was in the sun a lot today, I'm tired. And I haven't been taking blood from you every night lately."

"…Do you need it every night?"

"No," he said, closing his eyes. "I've been overindulging myself this year—but I'd gotten used to that amount already, so I need to force it the level of my thirst back down by resisting it as much as possible …" He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Otherwise you might faint."

"Well, I'm just a possession, so what does it matter?" she asked him coldly.

"You're _my_ possession, that's what. I have to take care of you, don't I?" He leaned in and flicked his tongue against her cheek.

"That's disgusting," Sakura mumbled.

He smirked. "Most would say it's erotic," he told her, and put one arm over her head to lean against the wall, half trapping her between it and his chest. "You don't think so?" His voice was husky and deep.

"No," she answered. "It's gross."

"It's sexy."

"It's unhygienic."

"Vampire saliva has strong healing properties, actually." He tilted his head a little. "So if you ever get a cut, come get me to lick it better for you."

She leaned away from his mouth as much as she could, her expression contorted into a slight grimace. "No, thank you," Sakura retorted. "I'd rather bleed."

The dark eyes narrowed slightly. "You really don't like me very much, do you?"

She just mutely met his eyes, the emerald irises telling him all the answer he needed to know.

He exhaled softly and dropped his arm. "Sorry," he whispered. He then turned and walked away.

Sakura stood there frozen as she watched him walk away and turn the corner out of sight, too overwhelmed with confusion to move.

…_Sorry?_

All she could think was that Uchiha Sasuke was an enigma that she would never understand.

.

.

_why do you always confuse me?_

.

"Ehhh, Sakura-chan? Is that you?"

"Uzumaki-san…? Why are you here?"

"I couldn't sleep," the blond shrugged. "And call me Naruto, seriously. What about you?" He stood up from his seat on the bench outside the inn and walked over to her. The moonlight gave his golden hair a gentle sheen, contrasting with the darkness of the evening.

"I couldn't sleep either," she said. Her neck had been throbbing and she had been trying for hours to make sense of Sasuke's random apology earlier to no avail; she had thought coming out for some fresh air might've helped soothe her mind a little. She hadn't expected to find Sasuke's best friend out here at this time in the night.

Naruto cocked his head a little, reminiscent of his best friend's own small tilt. "Do you wanna go on a walk with me, then?" he asked, grinning.

She blinked a few times. "…Sure." It wasn't as if he would do anything—Naruto clearly wasn't the manipulative type. And a walk sounded like nice idea, regardless.

"Then let's go!" Naruto said brightly, and began to lead the way.

.

.

_if only I had known…_

.

"They're leaving together, you know."

Sasuke looked up from his book to look up at Shikamaru whose expression was meticulously bored. "Aa?" Sasuke asked him nonchalantly.

"I mean Naruto and Sakura," was the monotone answer. The dark eyes flitted towards Sasuke's face.

"And so?" Sasuke turned back to the novel.

"You're not worried?"

"Why would I be?" Sasuke flipped the page, careful to avoid elbowing Kiba, who slept with his head resting about three inches away where Sasuke sat.

"You're obviously jealous."

Sasuke's fingers tensed against the book cover. "Hn. What makes you say so?"

There was a small sigh. "You keep glancing out the window."

At that, Sasuke put down his book. There was no more point in maintaining an indifferent façade; Shikamaru was too smart for that. "I can't control everything about her, even if I want to," Sasuke said slowly, leaning his head back to gaze up at the ceiling._ I was raised to see humans as prey, not... "companions", after all, and I'm trying to change that perception now. But I can't help but feel that she belongs to me. _His tendency for possessiveness wasn't very easily suppressed.

"You really are a possessive bastard," Shikamaru drawled, their thoughts in sync.

The vampire gave a small, bitter laugh. "I'm well aware."

.

.

_if I had known, maybe I could have saved ourselves some pain_

.

"He was such a depressing guy back in middle school," Naruto said, smiling at the bittersweet memory. Sakura politely listened to him, taking in the information silently. "He would lash out at everybody, like he was angry at the world or something… And he always acted like nothing was worth his time." He turned and gave Sakura a grin. "I really hated him at first."

"But you're good friends now."

"Yeah! Now he's the person I'm closest to, you know. I actually think of him as my brother, in a way, because—_Oi,_ watch out!"

Sakura tripped over the tree root just as the warning words left his mouth; Naruto deftly caught her before she could make a fool of her clumsy self, wrapping a strong arm around her waist just in time.

"You okay?" he asked, as he gently pulled her back to her feet.

"Eh? Aa, yeah, I think so…" She steadied herself, using his shoulder for support. He gently held her with his hands on her waist until she could stand firmly.

His fingers lingered, and she turned her head up; blue met green. Naruto had very pretty eyes, she noticed, as they came closer and closer, with those long lashes and clear color.

And she didn't look away, even as the heat of his breath began warming her lips, because this moment was somehow very… sweet. So she couldn't pull away from it; Sakura was drawn to it—like an insect seeing a light and flitting to it blindly. Like a person desperately wishing for a happy ending.

And somehow, as if under a witch's magic spell, the two's lips pressed together into a very soft kiss.


	9. jealousy

[A/N] So Honors Chemistry is taking over my life. I HATE IT SO MUCH. How are significant figures and absolute maximum uncertainty going to help my future, HUH? ...Because it looks good for college. :'( Oh, the pain of reality.

Anyway, here's the next chapter (the product of my exhaustion, the few minutes I have before bedtime, and near total brain combustion). Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

9} jealousy

.

.

_because life's a game we're meant to lose_

.

"That wasn't supposed to happen!" Naruto cried, looking as if he was about to tear out his hair. "Sorry, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura just lifted a hand up to cover her mouth, too surprised to say anything. How had that… how had that just happened? What did they just do?

"I didn't mean to kiss you, it just—I don't know, I just did it without thinking, I swear I don't mean anything by it—"

"No, it's… okay." Sakura dropped her hand and looked down at the ground sheepishly. "It's just a kiss…"

Naruto's fists just clenched tighter in his blond hair. "Aw dammit, the bastard's gonna kill me! And—that wasn't your first kiss, right? Oh shit, it's not, right? It's _not_, right?" He grabbed her shoulders. "Please tell me it's not, or you're gonna remember this forever and—_oh my god_, what if you fall in love with me? That always happens in shoujo manga, you know, where the girl gets kissed by the dude and then she hates him but falls in love with him later—"

"It _wasn't _my first kiss, Uzumaki-sa… Naruto." Sakura just sighed. "Just… let's just keep it a secret." It was bad enough that they'd done it—at least dismiss it as something insignificant.

But the blond wasn't listening. "Oh man, forget this ever happened! I'm so sorry—"

Sakura exhaled. "We'll look back at this later and laugh, so… whatever. It's really not that important." Considering how Sasuke had already forcibly kissed her twice, kisses were beginning to lose their importance to her now.

Naruto's kiss was really different from Sasuke's, though, she couldn't help but think. It was much sweeter, much gentler in comparison, like he actually cherished her. It was so much _kinder _than Sasuke's.

So would make it 'better', didn't it?

But then, she asked herself, holding a finger tentatively against her bottom lip, why in the world was she thinking that Sasuke's kiss was…

That it was superior?

.

.

_maybe I'm going crazy_

.

He honestly hadn't ever seen her as anything other than… than… He didn't even know, but up until this point, "Sakura-chan" had not been somebody he would think about kissing.

The feel of her slim waist under his arm, the wide emerald eyes gazing up at him, and those pink lips—prudence had utterly left him and he had unthinkingly leaned in and kissed her.

He was such an _idiot._

Their conversation had faded to a minimum after that; brief words and nervous laughs, but at least they weren't being totally awkwardly silent.

Naruto gazed up at the dark sky. The vast black was twinkling with a thousand tiny stars. It was a beautiful sight out here by the ocean, where the nonexistent city lights couldn't block out the nightly view of the distant constellations. The blue eyes then flitted to the pink-haired girl walking on his right. She was looking up at the sky, too—and then she turned and met his gaze.

They looked at each other for about five seconds; then they broke into relaxed smiles.

Things would be okay, their smiles meant. That kiss had just been a mistake, after all. They were mature enough to move on.

"Should we head back?" he asked her lightly.

"Sure," she answered.

And just like that everything was okay.

But as they turned on their heels and headed back to the inn along the dirt road, Naruto let out a tiny sigh. Sakura-chan was also a girl. Why hadn't he realized that earlier?

.

.

_I think I knew it then_

.

"_Goooooood_ morning!"

"Aw, be quiet, Ino," Tenten mumbled as she dug her face back into the white pillow.

Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She had slept well, though only for about seven hours; the reason for her lack of nightmares must've been the fact that there were three other girls sleeping beside her on the huge futon.

Hinata was sleepily blinking as she sat up, too. She turned her head and the pale eyes met Sakura's green; the Hyuuga girl smiled sweetly at her. A jolt of guilt shot through Sakura's chest as she gave a vague smile back, memories of last night rushing through her mind.

_I'm sorry, Hinata, _she mentally apologized. _I'm so sorry._

"Oh, c'mon, Tenten! There's a ton of hot guys out there, you know you want to go!"

"Go by yourself! And let go of my foot, damn it!"

"No way, you're coming with us!"

"It's _nine _in the freaking _morning_!"

"It's almost time for breakfast, you know. If you don't want Neji to see you like this, you need to start getting ready _now_."

"Aughh! Why should I care what Neji thinks?"

Sakura just tiredly rose to her feet and trudged to the bathroom to wash her face. Things would probably be outrageous and hectic again today, she just knew it from the ominous gut feeling she had in her stomach.

.

.

_and I guessed right_

.

To make her day even worse, they didn't speak to each other at breakfast once.

Sometimes their eyes met—his black boring into her green—but neither made a move to spark a conversation between them. Their individual pride wouldn't allow the two of them to do so.

"So let's head back to the beach!" Tenten cried once the group had finished their breakfast of milk and cereal.

Ino shot a glare in her direction. "Oh, you're saying that now, but you were kicking and screaming to sleep in barely half an hour ago."

"Yeah, well, I'm awake now, so might as well enjoy it." Tenten grinned and made a quick V sign with her fingers. "Oh, speaking of enjoying… Sakura, do you own a swimsuit?"

The expression of the girl in question became nervous. "No, I don't," Sakura answered quietly.

Tenten's smile grew even wider. "Ah. I see," she said simply. Then she turned to meet the blonde's blue gaze. "Ino? You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Ino's pink lips were also curved mischievously. She nodded slowly, a blonde eyebrow quirked. "Let's do it," she answered.

The male members and Hinata watched in curious silence as Tenten and Ino grabbed each arm of the pink-haired girl and forcibly dragged her back to their shared room.

.

.

_I didn't realize it then…_

.

"You have the figure of a model," Tenten said, with some admiration in her brown eyes as she stepped away to get a better view of Sakura in her bikini-clad glory. "A bit too skinny, but a generally nice shape."

Sakura, however, did not agree. "Can I change now?" she asked, and reached for her clothes.

"No way," Ino protested, grabbing her arm and leading her to the back door. "I'm lending that swimsuit to you, so wear it today. And put some sunscreen on so your skin won't get burned, since you're so pale."

Sakura looked down at her body and felt _naked_, far too naked for her own comfort. "I don't want to wear this…" She pulled gingerly at the hem of her bottoms. They were tiny, tiny shorts, and the triangles of skimpy green cloth over her chest didn't make her feel any more comfortable.

"Too bad," was the collective reply, and the two girls pulled her outside.

.

.

_that something tiny can affect everything_

.

Sakura had never thought of herself as pretty, but she couldn't help noticing how so many people glanced at her when they walked by; girls shot envious looks, boys more appreciative ones. Either way, it didn't help her feel better. Rather, she felt disgusted at the way they were looking at her. She wasn't something for people to look at and judge.

She was both irritated and placated to see that Sasuke didn't even spare her a glance. She had half hoped he might say something, if only to alleviate their sudden unexplained tension, but at the same time, she was glad he wasn't also giving her a look-over like she had expected him to do.

But still, his silence felt so strange. Fate had only pushed them together about two weeks ago, but his presence had already become part of her daily life; the way he was clearly avoiding her bothered her. Maybe Sasuke knew about her and Naruto's shared kiss last night? And if he did… If he did, then how did he feel about it? Was he annoyed? Or maybe even jea—

"Sakura-chan…"

Her train of thought interrupted, Sakura looked up to meet wary cerulean eyes. She smiled a little at the boy who stood before her. "Hi," she greeted him.

Naruto's cheeks were fiery red as he gazed down at his sand-covered feet. "So, uh, did you sleep well last night?" he asked.

"Um… I slept okay." Sakura's gaze also traveled to the floor. She felt incredibly shy, all of a sudden. "How about you?"

"Yeah, good… I guess…"

They each shifted their feet and looked away.

Naruto spoke up first. "Er, I'm gonna go swim."

"…Okay."

"Bye."

"Yeah, bye." She waved half-heartedly as he smiled and turned away. Feeling a hard gaze on the back of her head, she then tossed a glance towards the boy standing a few feet behind her.

His dark eyes met hers and for a moment, time seemed to stop.

Then he smirked and turned away.

Sakura resisted the urge to step up to him and ask him straight out what he was trying to imply with that crooked smile. Instead, she bit her lip and walked away. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her be manipulated by him, because that was exactly what he was doing—trying to put her into a situation to make her act on her own.

The feel of the sand under her feet was both welcoming and irritating. She had grown too dependent on him being in her life; he made her uncomfortable, but without him constantly teasing her, she actually felt… a void of some sort. It was the strangest feeling.

What was he doing to her mind?

"Sakura, come and get some drinks with us," Tenten said, grabbing her hand casually. "I'm thinking lemonade. Pink lemonade."

"Oh… Um, sure." Sakura gave her a tiny smile and Tenten grinned back.

"Ino and Hinata, are waiting, c'mon." She tugged at Sakura's hand, and Sakura obediently followed after the older girl.

She didn't notice how the vampire's dark eyes followed after her.

.

.

_but maybe it was better I didn't know_

.

Sasuke felt a shiver run through his body and a rush of fatigue suddenly swept through him—his legs nearly fell out under him.

He was so _damn weak._

Letting out a deep breath, he took a seat at a café table with an umbrella. Being under the sun at this hour, when it was so strong, was incredibly draining. But even more bothersome than his physical exhaustion was the fact that he was craving blood. Every cell in his lithe body was encouraging him to go and attack, but he forcibly suppressed the violent urges that were making his teeth and nails tingle. He wouldn't dare attack anybody here; chaos would reign and his true identity would be revealed to the entire world.

Nobody but Sakura and the other vampires knew his secret. Not even Naruto knew. And he wasn't going to let anything change that, not after all the effort he had put in to keep his true identity—his dark, bloodier, hated side—hidden from public view.

The first few years being "outside" in the human world had proved to be impossibly difficult for him to resist the thirst for blood, but he was nearing sixteen years old, now. His willpower had grown much stronger, and he could ignore the overbearing desire to tear into the throats of the people that walked by him. After spending years with Kakashi's training, he could now tolerate his thirst enough that it didn't take total control.

He had been a killing monster once, when he was under Orochimaru's manipulation, but _no more_, not again. He would never allow himself to become another Orochimaru.

But though he would say such arrogant things, he knew he had only until he turned eighteen to prove that to himself. That, and he was only dragging Sakura, an innocent bystander, down into these pits of hell with him.

He should've been grateful. He should've been on his knees, thanking her and kissing her feet for giving herself up to him.

Yet here he was, being a total idiot and acting like he was the king of the world. Like he could treat her any way he wanted. Like he didn't care about what she thought, or what she wanted to do, or what she did with his best friend when he wasn't present.

Sometimes he honestly detested his own goddamn pride.

.

.

_and sometimes he hated everything_

.

Her green eyes caught sight of a wandering child.

"You guys can go ahead," Sakura said softly to the other girls before she hurried over to the little girl. They watched her go, and once they'd understood that she was going to help the younger girl, they grinned.

"We'll be back in a sec!" Tenten called, and Sakura turned to give the three girls a quick nod before continuing on to the child.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she approached, and held out a hand.

"I… I lost my mommy…" The girl's dark eyes were full of tears as she reached up to take Sakura's hand.

"What does your mommy look like?" Sakura asked, and began scanning the beach.

"Umm… She's tall and pretty and has long hair…"

"Do you know what she's wearing?"

"Um… red?"

"A swimsuit?"

"Umm… I think so."

"What color is her hair?"

"Um… Same as mine! I think."

Sakura noticed a thin woman in a red bikini with long, black hair. She crouched down beside the child and pointed to her. "Is that your mommy?"

"Who?"

"Right there."

The child's dark eyes grew wide. "Yes! Mommy!"

Sakura smiled. "Run after her, okay?" She loosened her grip of the girl's hand, and the child rushed over to her searching mother. Sakura watched as the woman's expression changed from worry to intense relief as she scooped the girl up into her arms.

_Kaa-san… _Sakura let out a sigh. Her own mother was dead, and she was fifteen years old—there was no logical reason for her to continue wishing for her mother's embrace to encompass her any longer.

She had to protect herself, now.

"Are you alone?"

Sakura looked up to meet a pair of hazel eyes. "…I…" She took a step back from the unfamiliar man who stood before her. He wasn't particularly ugly or physically built, but Sakura felt an intense shock of fear run through her.

_This can't be happening._

He stepped closer. "Want to have some fun with me, pretty girl?" He grinned, and Sakura could see his white, white teeth.

"No thank you," she replied, but as she turned away he grabbed her wrist.

"Oh, c'mon," he said softly. He shot a glance behind him. "Guys, help me out here."

Two other men, who had been idly standing a few feet away, now stepped forward and stood on either side of him.

"So, I'll buy you a drink or two, how about it? You feeling up for it?" He leaned in a little closer, and Sakura automatically leaned away.

"No, I need to get back to my…" She paused, a little surprised at the words that wanted to be spoken. She continued slowly, "…Back to my friends."

But they only gave her dirty little smiles in response, and as she gazed at them silently with wide green eyes, Sakura wished she hadn't quit her karate lessons from her childhood.

.

.

_a quickened heartbeat is so unpleasant_

.

Sasuke could hear himself growling.

He was already on his feet and stepping rapidly towards his human consort, leaving behind the confused girls who had taken seats beside him at the café.

_Who do the fuck do they think they are? _was the only thought running through his mind right then.

His steps were quick, and though he was careful to keep his speed at a human level, he was still going fast enough that people he passed by stared at him. But he didn't really care what they thought of him at the moment. There were three men grabbing_ that girl_'s wrists and that horrible expression on her face…

Haruno Sakura was _scared_, so obviously frightened.

And the urge to protect that vulnerable, anorexic-looking little human being was overwhelming everything else. So he rushed towards her, quickening his pace just a bit, and then full out beginning to sprint; he would save her, he would tear those three damned idiots into pieces, and maybe she would finally smile at him for once, tell him "Thank you"—

But he was too late.

He froze to a stop and watched mutely as his best friend, with his trademark golden spikes shining under the sun, broke through and pushed the three men away from Sakura. Naruto yelled something that Sasuke couldn't understand from this distance, but the meaning was clear: _Get away or I'll kill you._

The emotion on Naruto's face matched the feelings in Sasuke's chest.

For a moment longer, Sasuke continued to watch as the three men threw half-witted insults back. But the rest of the Konoha 11 was approaching now; there was no need for Sasuke to be there. Besides, Naruto had always taken charge, and he was more than competent to break it all up.

Sasuke grit his teeth and began walking the opposite direction.

His fangs felt like they were pulsing, his body full of the desire to simply _kill, kill, kill_. He wanted to sink his fangs into a soft neck, or throw a chair against a stone wall and watch it break into splinters before his eyes.

_Why?_ Why the was the world constantly trying to ruin his life? Why could nothing go right for him?

What had he done to deserve this?

He felt so irritated by it all—the powerful need to spill blood, the exhaustion of being under the sun, the way he could _never do anything right._

But Naruto always could. That stupid, idiotic blond had some kind of strange power, some crazy mass of luck that stuck to him and made everything go right for him. Naruto could make people smile when he wanted, make them laugh genuinely and make them trust him. He could change a person's life completely. He could make you want to live, make you want to become a better person. Even Sasuke knew the power of Naruto's gentle optimism; he himself had been saved by it.

But Sasuke? He couldn't even protect his own bride from three idiots on the beach.

That blatant, honest truth completely pissed him off, because _he knew it was true_ and _because_ he knew it was true, he couldn't convince himself to believe his own lie that had haunted him for years, that _no, it's fine, you're the best like you always were, like how everybody always tells you. Just like always. Sasuke, you're perfect, aren't you? You're absolutely perfect._

But no, that wasn't it at all. Sasuke was anything _but _perfect. He was flawed and scarred and hurt and _so very broken_. And worst of all, he was actually jealous of his own best friend, who he had perpetually thought of as inferior during their middle school days. His initial perception of Naruto had been so incredibly wrong. Now, three years later, karma was still punishing him for his past treatment of the blond.

Sasuke was such a worthless person. And he hated that, more so than words could ever describe. It was at times like these that he wished he could be truly as perfect as everybody at school thought he was.

But he wasn't, and that was the simple, painful truth.


	10. hypocrite

[A/N] I'm sorry about being kinda late. Life's gotten busy with the Homecoming dance coming up (a boy asked me to it last week :D), Honors classes (the worst of which is definitely Chemistry. GUHHHHH.), and some boy drama (no comment). But at least the chappie's here, right? Also, Another thank you to those of you who review every chapter. I'd like to give you all glomptastic hugs but unfortunately that's not possible… Aw, well, E-HUGS TO YOU ALL!

Happy reading~

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><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

10} hypocrite

.

.

_if I could, I would make all your worries disappear_

.

"Eh? Where'd Sasuke-kun go?" Ino asked, blinking bright blue eyes and glancing around at Sakura and the other members of the present Konoha 11. "He hasn't been around for like… the past few hours."

Sakura had noticed his absence, too—and apparently so had the rest of the group. They all turned expectant eyes towards Naruto, who knew the most about the cynical Uchiha and could usually give an explanation for all of his best friend's antics.

The blond shrugged. "He skips out on stuff and goes to sleep all the time. Or maybe he's flirting with girls."

Ino sighed and played with a strand of her hair. "I wanted to make him go on a walk with me. A walk on the beach is so romantic, you know? You can sit on the sand, and watch the waves together…"

"That's so stupid," Kiba retorted, rolling his eyes. "You're such a girl."

The blonde's brows contorted. "Oh, and you don't ever wonder why you're still single?"

Kiba's eyes flickered towards Hinata momentarily, then narrowed as he turned his fierce gaze back to Ino. "Well, I don't see you with any boyfriend, either."

"Hey, I'm working on it!" She crossed her arms and returned the glare.

"Sasuke will never like a bitch like you," he replied. "You don't even like him that much, do you? You just like him because all girls like him."

"I am _not_ a bitch! And I don't like him because everybody else does, I like him because…because he's always the one who's in the most pai—"

"Okay, break it up, break it up," Shikamaru said, sounding irritated, and he pushed the two away from each other. "You're hurting my ears."

Ino pouted, but she obediently stepped away. "I really do like Sasuke-kun, you know," she said. She then took hold of her friend's shoulder. "You believe me, right, Shikamaru?"

The boy's expression seemed to harden the tiniest bit. "I know you do," he replied, rolling his eyes.

Sakura resisted the urge to quirk a brow as she looked at him, feeling some surprise rolling through her chest. Was it possible that Shikamaru…?

Shikamaru looked over towards her then, probably having felt her gaze on him, and their eyes met. There was a tacit plead in his dark eyes.

_Don't ask._

So… she didn't.

.

.

_silence is golden_

.

It was the strangest feeling. When she glanced over towards the direction of the inn, there seemed to be some kind of _pull_ that was trying to reel her back towards it, like her soul or something else inside of her was being dragged towards it with ghostly fingers.

"I'm going to go back to the inn for a minute," Sakura said, curiosity getting the best of her.

Tenten looked back with surprise. "Ehh? Why?"

Sakura gestured wordlessly to her bare legs and exposed stomach, which was all the explanation that she needed.

The older girl sighed. "Well, I guess it was an achievement for you to wearing a bikini all day. Go get changed, then. We're going to meet up for dinner, soon, anyway."

Sakura gave her and Hinata a brief smile before turning and heading towards to the inn.

For some reason, she felt like her soul or something else inside of her was being hit with bullets of fear as she approached the traditional-styled building.

…Why was there such an ominous feeling in her chest?

.

.

_like everything that happened, it was because of him_

.

The vampire grabbed at his chest as he slammed into the wall of the hallway and slid exhaustedly to the floor. Sasuke kneeled there breathless, panting heavily; pain was coursing through his body and his lungs were refusing to take in sufficient air. He tried to focus on the pattern of the wooden tiles to drag his attention away from the self-inflicted torment of his body, but it was completely impossible.

He had grown far too dependent on blood.

Of course, it would be impossible to ever be free from the necessity of stealing human blood—he was a vampire, after all—but this… this was proof he needed to at least grow a stronger toleration. He'd grown enough over the years under his guardian's guidance, that he could ignore his urge to kill, but this terrible thirst was omnipresent.

_Be careful, Sasuke, _Kakashi had warned him. _If you take blood every day, you're going to grow too used to the amount you get. Then if you try to lessen your intake again, your body will have some… very painful withdrawal symptoms._

Sasuke had assumed he was strong enough to go without blood for a few days. Clearly, he wasn't—and that fact was hitting him harder than he expected.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. After seeing Sakura faint from anemia a while ago, he'd realized he needed to stop taking so much from her; one person couldn't supply blood for him every day. But the days that had followed that one had been a hell of physical torment, just like now.

He was being stupid, avoiding Sakura like this and denying himself blood. It was stupid, completely stupid, a stupidly stupid reason.

He didn't want her to see how weak and worthless he truly was.

He acted confident, he always did. Showing weakness was just setting yourself up for more hurt; that had been proven by the way Orochimaru had taken control of him so easily as a child, using him to kill and attack. He had been rendered into a little weapon with no mind of its own. He had trusted Orochimaru with his entire heart, but the man he had most admired had been revealed to be a murderer and a liar.

He wasn't afraid of Sakura; what could a tiny human like her to do him? But the look of fear she wore… That frightened expression was painfully reminiscent of the faces of those he had been ordered to kill. They had worn those same wide eyes full of fear and hopelessness, the eyes so many innocent people had worn as he had rushed towards them, his fangs ready to tear their throats into pieces.

The thought of their blood in his mouth sent a shot of pain through his body, and his teeth pulsed violently, throbbing and aching for the taste of blood. He slammed a fist against the wall as a tear, the manifestation of his utter frustration, trickled down his cheek and fell to the floor.

.

.

_all he could feel was pain_

.

Sakura stood in shock behind the corner.

Sasuke hadn't seen her, she was sure of that—but… _A heart attack?_ Her mind reeled. It appeared to be either that or some kind of terrible convulsions. He was sweating heavily, his head bowed and his hand grabbing at his chest, and he looked liked he was having trouble breathing. His entire body was shaking violently.

He had seemed lifeless all day, hardly moving or even looking at anybody. He'd disappeared off to somewhere after the group had split up at the beach earlier this afternoon, but she had only noticed his absence after Naruto had saved her from those three drunk men a few hours ago. Naruto had said it was normal for Sasuke to skip out on everything and just go sleep.

But the vampire obviously wasn't sleeping.

The sound of rustling clothes reached her ears. As quickly but quietly as she could, Sakura ran into the women's bathroom at the end of the hall and shut the door behind her. She stood with her ear to the door and waited until his footsteps passed by. When she couldn't hear him anymore, she let herself take a seat on the tiled floor and finally make sense in her mind of what she had just witnessed.

She had never expected to see Uchiha Sasuke, of all people, crying.

.

.

_even the cruelest man has a weakness he cannot ignore_

.

"Naruto, are you sure he's not sick or something?" Chouji asked as he dug into his bowl of rice with a spoon. "He's pretty damn thin but he's never skipped out on dinner before like this." As a member of the Akimichi clan, Chouji was honestly horrified at the idea of skipping dinner.

Sakura felt a slight chill of guilt run through her as Naruto replied, "Yeah. He doesn't eat much, anyway. I bet he's out partying somewhere and forgot about us."

"He's been missing since this morning, though," Ino said. "He's never been gone for this long before."

"You're just thinking about it too much. It's normal for him," Naruto insisted. "I think he has antisocial disorder or something. He does this a lot. Trust me."

And with that final note, the table fell silent.

Sakura swallowed a big gulp of water and debated momentarily whether she should say something—something along the lines of: _I think he had a heart attack about an hour ago, actually, but I'm not sure, since he's a vampire and his body is probably different from a human's and he seemed okay after it anyway, since he could walk at least, but I really don't know, and I think he's still at the inn, too, just hiding somewhere, but I'm not sure about that either. I'm not sure about anything anymore, really._

But she decided against saying anything and instead just poured herself another glass of water. It wasn't any of her business. She would let her next door neighbor do what he wanted to do, whether it was killing himself or fighting heart attacks or whatever the hell that scene earlier had been. She didn't care about him, anyway, right?

…Right?

.

.

_why was nothing sure for me anymore?_

.

"He seemed kind of… dead lately, didn't he?"

Tenten gave the other girl a confused look. "What do you mean, Ino?" she asked.

"Sasuke-kun, he's just… I don't know." Ino shrugged. "Like he doesn't talk a whole lot, but he would always say something sarcastic every so often, you know? And then he was just… Lifeless. Like he lost all his energy or something. And he's been gone since this afternoon… It's past midnight now and nobody's seen him yet. I'm not worried that he'll get hurt or anything, since he's actually ridiculously strong—I mean, you remember when he knocked out that third-year in middle school when he was just a first-year, right? But I'm still worried about him. Like, I feel like he must be having some kind of internal or mental problem, you know?"

Sakura looked down at her bare feet and listened to them silently.

"Well, if Sasuke'll tell us if he wants to tell us, Ino," Tenten said. "And hey, Naruto's his closest friend, and he's not worried at all."

"Yeah, but… Sasuke-kun never wants to tell anybody anything. I always feel like he doesn't totally trust us yet, even though we've all been together since middle school—"

"Ino, please…"

They all turned to look at Hinata with surprise. Her cheeks were a faint red, embarrassed for interrupting, but her pale eyes were surprisingly clear.

So quiet little Hyuuga Hinata _did_ have a strong side, Sakura mused with some admiration.

"Don't… say things like that… I'm sure Sasuke-kun has his reasons. Everybody has… things… that th-they don't… want to t-talk ab-b-bout…" She looked away, hands clasping together nervously. "M-me inc-c-cluded…"

Ino smiled at her, her blue eyes growing soft. Hinata had a kind of subtle power, Sakura thought, that made people want to be… a better version of themselves. Naruto, too, had a similar aura to hers: optimistic and determined, but at the same time, very gentle.

"No, you're right, Hinata," Ino said. "I'm sorry. Let's go to sleep, then, shall we?"

"I, for one, am _totally_ exhausted_!_" Tenten grabbed Hinata's hand, an affectionate gesture, and led the way to their room. They looked just like a pair of sisters. "Let's go to bed, guys!" she said cheerfully.

Ino gave Sakura a quizzical look when the pink-haired girl didn't follow the other girls down the hall. "Sakura, aren't you coming?" she asked.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I'm going to take a walk outside before I sleep."

The blue eyes were clearly disbelieving, but Ino just gave her a tight smile. "Okay. Well, see you later, then."

"Yeah. Good night."

"…Good night."

They gazed at each other a moment longer, and then Ino turned and walked away.

Sakura waited until the three girls had shut the door behind them before she headed off towards the inn main entrance. She hadn't lied—she honestly wanted to just go on a walk and try to set her thoughts in order.

What Ino had mentioned was probably credible, as the blonde had always had unbelievable perspicacity when it came to other people. Sakura had noticed it, too; the vampire's expression could've been made of stone, the way it had remained perfectly blank and emotionless all morning, besides the occasional forced smirk or two. He was a cruel and manipulative bastard, of that, she was very much aware, but the way he hardly made use of his facial muscles lately was frightening. And that scene earlier—

She turned the corner and literally crashed into Sasuke's chest.

_Speak of the devil, _she thought as she took a few steps back and put a hand on the wall, regaining her balance. She looked up and defiantly met the crimson gaze of her vampire consort.

No wonder Sasuke had hid himself all day—those red-colored eyes were clearly unnatural.

"Good evening," she said softly, the first words she had spoken to him since yesterday.

The dark gaze was cold. "What are you doing here?" he asked, and looked away.

She was actually a little surprised to hear him answer. It seemed like she hadn't heard his voice in such a long time, though it'd only been about a day. She took a moment to let his words settle into her mind before she replied, "I'm going to take a walk," she said.

"Now?" he asked. "It's past midnight."

"I went last night even later than now and I was fine," she retorted.

Something in his expression seemed to change; it was tiny, _tinytinytiny_, but she saw it. He was… irritated.

Could it possibly be because she had gone last night with Naruto?

"Then go ahead," he said emotionlessly, and stepped to the side.

She paused, simply staring at him. Seeing how he was trembling only _oh so slightly_, and the way he was avoiding looking into her eyes, and how his red flickered towards her throat… And those painfully hungry, hungry red eyes.

"I won't stop you," he told her, his voice still so carefully even.

Sakura dug her hands into the pockets of her khaki capris and walked past him, but when the distance between them increased to two feet, she stopped. Very, _very_ slowly, she turned back to face him. She couldn't believe she was doing this, but the words were already slipping between her lips: "Do you… want to go with me?" she asked him, so softly that during the following minute of silence, she was sure he hadn't even heard her.

Then their eyes met, and it didn't matter if he hadn't heard, because as they gazed at each other, a look of understanding passed between them. He knew what she meant without even needing to listen to tangible words.

Without a word, Sasuke stepped up to her, and they set off together towards the beach.

.

.

_sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I had never asked_

.

She pitied him.

That was all it was.

…That's what they both told themselves.

.

.

_but "half the truth is often a great lie"_

.

"Your eyes are glowing red," she commented absent-mindedly. Her fingers made swirls in the sand as she waited for his reply.

"…I know that," he said.

"Is that so…" Sakura turned her gaze towards the rushing waves of the moonlit ocean and didn't say anything more. What else was there to say?

He looked at the waves too, and their hands almost brushed as he set his down to sit in a more comfortable position by leaning on them. Just a few inches separated their bodies. The bright moon was glowing brightly, giving the ocean a bright, mesmerizing sheen, and the two were quiet as they sat beside each other on the beach's rough sand. Sakura counted to sixty in her head before she willingly spoke up again.

"If you need blood… you can take it," she told him softly.

Sasuke whipped his head towards her. The dark irises were heavily tinted with his scarlet thirst, and they were gazing hungrily at her neck. Sakura lifted up a hand to cover the soft skin in an unconsciously protective gesture, and then something seemed to break; he suddenly looked away again, and Sakura dropped her hand.

"You don't understand anything," he said in a low voice, the red-colored eyes focusing on the blue ocean.

"I guess I don't." _In fact, I hardly understand anything about you, Sasuke-kun. _Sakura pulled at the hem of her too-large blue t-shirt nervously, and her eyes traveled to the large hand that rested so close to hers. The veins of his large hands and arms slightly protruded from the rest of his skin, and his long fingers were clenched tightly into a fist.

He was shaking.

The boy beside her was so obviously fighting his thirst; why did he need to push himself so far? For what reason was he punishing himself like this?

"Don't be so hard on yourself…" Sakura pulled her knees close to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She rested her chin on the top of her knees. "I don't like seeing people try to handle more than they should… and… it's okay to depend on others, too…"

Her green eyes widened with surprise when she realized what she was saying: She was repeating the words Ino had said to her only a week ago.

The vampire's dark eyes seemed to be glistening as he leaned in and pressed his lips to the warm skin of her neck. His breath was hot. "You're such a hypocrite, Sakura," was all he whispered before he sank his sharp fangs deep into her throat.


	11. preparation

[A/N] About three things I am absolutely positive. First, you guys are freaking amazing. Second, there are over 200 reviews—and I don't know how this happened—that are present for this fic. And third, I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Stride gum.

—TWILIGHT PARODY OVERR. XP (Just to clarify, I am neither a fan nor an anti of Twilight.)

So, uh, thanks, you guys. A lot. I kind of want to cry? I considered dropping this fic a while back because life is really busy as a junior in high school, but all the encouragement and flattery got to my head and I convinced myself I could do this. XD We'll see how I feel as the year goes on… hahaha…

Anyway, here's the next chapter (it's sososo late, I'm sorry, and it's kinda short, too, but at least it's here?). Happy reading~

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><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

11} preparation

.

.

_why can we never just see the world as it is?_

.

"Nice of you to join us today," Naruto said sarcastically as the door to the train compartment slid open to reveal an unusually energetic looking Uchiha Sasuke. His dark eyes were bright and he had a bit of color in his usually pale face.

The vampire just shrugged in response to Naruto's comment and took a seat beside his best friend—across from Sakura, who was blatantly casting her eyes off towards the little window so she wouldn't have to look at the smirk he was wearing. She couldn't stop her eyes from flickering towards his direction every so often, though, and she noticed that his eyes were back to normal today. They were as black and as cold as ever. Last night had been the first night she'd ever seen anything but pure arrogance radiating from those midnight-colored irises… But now, once more, that dark gaze was brimming with confidence.

_We will be leaving shortly, _the announcer on the train said cheerfully. _We hope you will enjoy your trip, and thank you for riding with Konoha Rail. Here is a short message from our sponsor, the Namikaze Company…_

"You know, I just realized something. Sasuke-kun, it's your birthday soon, isn't it?" Ino suddenly spoke. Sakura nearly jumped—she'd completely forgotten that her childhood friend was sitting to her left. "July twenty-third…"

Sasuke smirked. "Of course _you_ would remember that," he said.

Ino just laughed lightly. "Of course I would remember my future husband's birthday! Well, since you'll be turning sixteen, we should do something big."

"Yeah! Let's do something fun!" Naruto cried, and shook his friend's shoulder. "Turning sixteen is a big deal in America, you know."

"This is Japan, you do realize," was Sasuke's deadpan reply.

"So? I'm from America!" Naruto jabbed a thumb towards his chest. "Well, my mom was. So I am too. Right? Sakura-chan, you're smart—do you know?"

Sakura gave him a quizzical look. "Eh?"

"Am I American if one of my parents were?" he asked.

"Your parents? Is one of them American?"

Naruto laughed. "Well, I think my mom is. That's what Jiraiya—er, my godfather—told me. So I don't actually know. He lies all the time, so it's kind of hard for me to believe the stuff he tells me."

Sakura gave him a blank look.

"My parents died when I was a baby," he explained, a small smile still on his lips.

The train suddenly jutted forward just then and began sliding along the tracks; Sakura sat there, frozen, unable to think of anything to say.

Naruto broke the tense moment of silence easily, like he always did."Oh, Sakura-chan did the face, too," Naruto said lightly. "Look, Sasuke. I _told_ you everybody who finds out my parents are dead does that face."

The vampire's black eyes met hers momentarily, but Sakura quickly averted her gaze to her lap, where her hands lay clasped together. She asked in a whisper, "How did they…?"

"Oh, die? Car crash. When I was still a kid." Naruto's blue eyes went a little distant and his pink lips curled into a tight little smile. Both Ino and Sasuke looked away. Sakura stared at Naruto in dismay as he continued, "My godfather, Jiraiya, was my Dad's tutor when he was in high school, and soon after the car crash, he adopted me. I guess you've never met him before?"

She shook her head. "No…"

"Oh, man, you look so shocked!" Naruto reached for her face and pressed his warm hands against both her cheeks gently. "Cheer up, Sakura-chan. I don't like seeing people sad. Besides, that was years ago, I don't even remember them. You can't miss what you never had, right?"

She gave him a timid smile and the blond grinned back.

Sasuke's eyes suddenly flashed in her direction and for a moment, his black gaze questioned her, analyzing her with a steadiness that was slightly discomforting. Again, there was something other than arrogance there in those dark irises that she couldn't quite put a finger on… But before she could decipher it, the black eyes narrowed and Sasuke turned his gaze back to staring at the compartment door to his left.

He always moved away before she could truly take hold of what he was offering, she thought cynically, but said nothing aloud.

.

.

_will I ever understand you, Sasuke-kun?_

.

"Well, last time he went on that trip or whatever with his guardian, right? So I say this time, we have a huge party or something." Ino was chattering away as much as she could—Sasuke had left momentarily to go to the bathroom, leaving a chance for the other three (really it was only two, because Sakura didn't want much to do with any of this) to begin creating plans for 'Operation Sasuke's Birthday', as Naruto had taken to calling it.

"But where would we hold it?" Naruto asked in reply, his expression full of determination and thoughtfulness. "And who would we invite? We gotta think about that, too. The venue's super duper important, you know?"

"Why don't we ask Neji and Hinata for some help?" Ino suggested with a slight shrug. "They're filthy rich, after all. They wouldn't mind."

Naruto twisted his lips. "I feel bad imposing on the Hyuuga, though," he said.

"What? Are you serious? They freaking adore you. Hyuuga-sama is like, obsessed with you. Remember that day he just showed up in the middle of class that one time? He brought this huge bag of candy and just gave it to you and then walked away. Hinata was so embarrassed, remember? She was like, 'Why did Father come? Why?' It was so cute and funny at the same time."

"Huh, I do kind of remember that! Chouji ate pretty much all the candy. Oh, do you remember that other time when…"

Sakura listened to their banter silently, feeling lost. Naruto and Ino clearly had a past together—it only made her feel so much more aware of how badly she fitted in with the rest of the group. They had a shared history of memories, but her… The only person Sakura knew was Ino, and she didn't really feel up to looking back on those packed away recollections. And Sasuke—well, she never felt like thinking about that bastard.

The door slid open right then and the vampire stepped in. "Discussing middle school memories?" Sasuke asked, listening to the blonds' conversation as he took his seat.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. Good times, right? Oh, man, Sakura-chan, did I ever tell you the story about the time that this dumbass here got a chunk of his hair cut off by a crazy stalker girl? She just walked up to him one day in the middle of class with a pair of scissors and grabbed his hair and chopped off this big chunk of it, and then ran away laughing. It was kinda scary. I heard rumors that she was going to make a love potion out of it."

"That was in second year, wasn't it?" Ino laughed. "I remember that. Sensei was so shocked that she fainted. She thought we were getting terrorized or something."

Sakura leaned back in her chair. She was technically included in the conversation, but she had absolutely nothing to input into it, leaving her in an uncomfortable position. She wondered why she had agreed to come to this stupid trip when it was a waste of money and precious time… But the idea that maybe Sasuke would be left too hungry without her blood there and would prey on girls again—that frightening thought had stopped her completely.

Sasuke certainly scared her, especially in the moments his eyes flashed red. They made her think of blood and pain and fear, of violent images and hopelessness. Sakura could easily imagine what would happen if he lost control of himself and went on a rampage… But that wasn't likely. Still, the concept of it had caused her to come, just to be safe.

…What would happen if he ever lost control of himself?

.

.

_of course I didn't know… I didn't know anything, then_

.

Sasuke grabbed hold of his next door neighbor's arm as soon as the Konoha 11 and Sakura had said their goodbyes and began dragging her towards the end of a nearby building.

"Are you thirsty?" Sakura whispered, slight anxiety tinting her words.

She learned quickly, he mused, and as soon as they'd turned the corner, he pressed his lips to her throat. She gasped in response—a very ragged breathing in—and Sasuke couldn't stop himself from smirking at the sound of it.

"I'm going to bite you, Sakura," he said, and opened his mouth.

Her voice slightly shook. "What if people see?"

"They'll just think we're a couple making out," he answered her, half jokingly.

As expected, she was immediately indignant. "I don't want that—" she began, but he interrupted her with his own selfish reply.

"Too bad," he muttered before he let his teeth satisfy themselves with her fragrant blood.

.

.

_more, more, more—always wanting more_

.

_So, how did it feel, Sasuke-kun?_

…_Amazing. Like pure power._

_Like power—is that so… Interesting. Are you happy?_

_Happy?_

_It's a typical human emotion, Sasuke-kun. I would expect a genius child like you to understand what it is._

_Well, I'm not human, Orochimaru._

_Oh?_

_I'm a vampire. Humans are our prey._

_Hm. I suppose that's right._

_Well, you're the one who said that to me earlier._

_Did I?_

_You did._

_Well, I suppose I'm smarter than I thought. Now, go to sleep, Sasuke-kun. I'm sure you need the rest._

_No, not yet. I want more—_

_No._

…_No?_

_You've had enough blood for today._

_But I'm still thirsty—_

_Getting too dependent on blood will destroy you, Sasuke-kun._

_But it makes me feel so… so…_

_Powerful._

_Yes, powerful. Like I'm the strongest being in the world. It's like… it's just like a drug, Orochimaru—I can't ever get enough of it._

_Go rest, Sasuke-kun._

_What? No. I don't want to._

_You can get more blood tomorrow. The humans won't suddenly disappear when you sleep. Don't worry so much. Humans exist for us to live off of, after all. Besides, you're only ten years old. You need your rest or your body won't grow strong._

…_I guess so._

_Goodnight, Sasuke-kun._

.

.

_goodbye, Orochimaru_

.

"Shit," he gasped as he shot up into a sitting position, his blanket thrown to the floor. _Shitshitshitshit._ Blood—he was craving it so badly. Drinking blood gave him a momentary feeling of pure power, like nothing in the world could stop him.

It truly was a drug.

The seal on his neck didn't help matters, either. Sasuke lifted a hand up to press it against the black mark under his hair. It felt like it was burning, trying to crawl over his skin… The heat was spreading.

Sasuke clenched his teeth and bared himself for the worst.

.

.

_pain is never easy_

.

"Looking for a present for your boyfriend?" the friendly cashier asked with a wide smile.

Sakura turned a faint pink as she whipped up into a normal standing position, straightening her back. "N-no. Nothing like that," she said, as her green eyes kept glancing back at the stand of mens' watches.

"Oh, really?" she asked, clearly disbelieving.

"Yes, really," Sakura said quickly, and nearly sprinted for the door. "Thank you anyway!" she called as she escaped. Until there was a good distance of fifty feet between her and the little store, she didn't slow down.

Truth was, she actually was roaming the streets in hopes of finding a birthday present for Sasuke (Ino had warned everybody that they better bring something or she would personally find them and strangle them) but Sakura hadn't thought of the expense and physical torment that gift shopping truly was. She had entered at least thirty-five stores by now and had found nothing, though she had been momentarily caught off guard by the stand of expensive silver watches in the last store. There had been one on there that looked exactly like the one her father had worn in her childhood.

Sakura let out a deep breath, willing herself not to grow upset.

_Well, I hope you're happy, Otou-san, _she thought sarcastically. _You stupid womanizer. _She slid her hands into the pockets of her loose shorts and headed towards the train station. _And Sasuke-kun is just like you. Unreliable… and selfish._

Yet she couldn't bring herself to hate either of them.

.

.

_was it simple stupidity or something else?_

.

She went searching again the next day—and the next, and the next, and the next, trying in vain to find something that she thought he might actually appreciate. But… there was nothing. Keychains, games, watches, electronics… Nothing suited him.

What did Sasuke-kun even like? What did he hate? Who would know? Perhaps his family? But what had happened to his family? Had they been killed? Or had they abandoned him after discovering he'd become something nonhuman? How had he become a vampire in the first place? Also, why had Sasuke-kun chosen her to be his bride? And who was Orochimaru?

And why did she accept this terrible fate so easily? She begrudged it, but at the same time, there was a tinge of thankfulness in her heart.

Sakura really couldn't understand.

.

.

_and perhaps neither did he_

.

July 23rd came around faster than expected; Sakura was completely unprepared for it, with no gift ready and her mind in a state of confusion and exhaustion. Even more unexpectedly, Naruto came knocking on her front door at 11:00 AM right that morning, a fresh looking Yamanaka Ino in tow. They barged in uninvited (thankfully she had finished showering and was fully clothed) and each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her quite literally out the door.

"Let's go!" the two blonds cried, and pulled her towards a waiting taxi.

Sakura felt utterly bewildered as she was pushed in and the car door shut behind the three. "What's going on?" she asked in a high-pitched whisper as the taxi rushed to a start and onto the street.

"Oh, we're just going to set up for Sasuke-kun's birthday, no big deaaaaal," Ino said, giggling. Then she broke into a wide grin. "Ha, as if it's no big deal! It's gonna be the most insane party of the entire year, I'm sure! We're holding at the Hyuuga's main house, and let me tell you, it's the biggest mansion I've ever seen in my life. This is going to be one hell of a party."

"The bastard's gonna hate it," Naruto said, roaring with laughter. "Can you imagine his face? Hahaha! He'll walk in and just freeze like an idiot, I bet you a million yen."

"Augh, I know! I'm so excited for this," Ino squealed. "He'll be so surprised."

Naruto seemed unable to contain his excitement; he was fidgeting in his chair. "And Hyuuga-san said we could put up as much stuff as we wanted, as long as it didn't hurt the walls or furniture. I'm thinking a ton of lights all along the ceilings tonight."

"Whoa, for real?"

"And he'll supply the music and food, all free of charge."

"Damn, he really loves you."

"Er, I wouldn't say that…"

"This is going to be so amazing! The best quality catering, a huge room… we'll even wear formal dresses and dance to classical music. It's like a fairytale, isn't it?"

_More like a nightmare_, Sakura thought to herself, as she stared out the window. In what part of this elaborate and very unnecessary plan did she have to participate? She'd rather stay at home and read a book. Besides, she had nothing to give him, and why should he deserve congratulations from her when they weren't even friends?

Because they weren't.


	12. ball

[A/N] I LOVE TARAAAAAAAA SOOOO MUCHHHHH!

Anyway.

Last chapter WAS kind of a filler, I'm sorry. D: But this one has more development, I swear! So, HAPPY READING!

P.S. Don't you wish you could be Cinderella? I know I do.

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

12} ball

.

.

_a warning: remember to return before the clock strikes twelve, Cinderella_

.

"Put the dress on, Sakura," Ino said, a tone of warning in the demand, as she held out the red dress towards the other girl.

"No," Sakura answered stubbornly, stepping away.

The blue eyes narrowed. "Put it _on_!"

"_No._"

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto gave her a pleading look. "You know…" The puppy dog expression suddenly morphed into a mischievous grin and he pushed her into the bedroom, grabbing the dress from Ino's hands and throwing it in after her. Then he immediately shut the door with a slam. "If you don't put the dress on and wear it to the party tonight, I will keep you locked in there and won't let you out until morning tomorrow."

"Nice," Ino said, and Sakura could hear the two give each other high-fives outside the door. She grimaced.

"But seriously, Sakura-chan…" Naruto sounded slightly apologetic, but continued acting obstinate. "Just put it on, please?"

"Yeah, I picked it out especially for you. It's actually Hinata's, but it's an old one and she doesn't fit it anymore. You're like, anorexic, so it should fit you."

"I really won't let you out until you wear it," Naruto added.

"It's not just a birthday party, either. Almost the entire school will be coming and it's going to be really high class, with bodyguards and everything. You have to look nice or you'll definitely get compared to all the other girls, who'll laugh at you, and then you'll regret not getting dressed up. Besides, _every _girl wants to look pretty. You can't deny that, can you?"

Sakura got to her feet and pulled the red, expensive-looking dress from off the floor. It looked like it cost too much to belong on the floor, so she hung it over the back of a chair. She glanced around the room, feeling awed by its simple but well-designed interior. The walls were a pale, pastel purple, and the curtains covering a huge window were a faded yellow. There were several framed pictures on the wall, and the nearest towards Sakura was of a child with long, dark hair, with a young adult woman holding her hand. Somehow the sweet little smile on the girl's face looked eerily familiar to Sakura, but she couldn't quite place it…

"And, uh," Naruto said, sounding a little embarrassed now, "I don't think Hinata would really like to have her room be used as a prison all evening, either, so uh… Just put the dress on, please, Sakura-chan?"

So this was Hinata's room, Sakura realized. It suited the image of the quiet girl—simple, delicate, and gentle.

"Sakura, it's five o'clock already! There's only two hours until the party starts, so please, just put the damn dress on and let's get you ready." Ino banged her fist against the door threateningly. "Hinata needs to use her room, too."

Sakura sighed. "Okay," she said.

"…What?" the blonds' voices rang out with unison, both full of disbelief.

"I said, okay."

She could hear Naruto and Ino share another high-five. With another soft sigh, she slipped out of her jeans and t-shirt and pulled the red dress over her thin body. The dress fit remarkably well; Hinata was also very slender, but Sakura could guess the reason why she didn't wear this red dress anymore. The chest area fit Sakura's torso perfectly, but Hinata was far much more… well-endowed than Sakura was.

Sakura knocked on the door to announce that it was clear. "I changed," she called out. The door opened a crack, and Ino shot in before slamming the door behind them. The blonde immediately turned the lock on the door before standing up straight again and giving Sakura a big grin.

As expected, Naruto wasn't pleased with the impromptu rolling of events. "Oi! Let me in!" he shouted, pounding against the door.

"Naruto, you go get the stuff ready," Ino called through the door to the blond standing shocked on the other side.

"Aw, but I wanna see how Sakura-chan looks too—"

"You can see it _later_." Ino sounded incredibly similar to her mother when she was irritated.

"…Fine," he huffed. "I'm not gonna be childish about this."

"Tell Hinata and Tenten to come in, too, if you see them. They should be around, helping put stuff up or something."

He sighed. "Okay, okay. I'm going."

"Thanks, Naruto."

"Whatever." The girls could hear him walking away with languid steps.

"Well, then," Ino said, and pointed to a chair in front of a mirror. "Sit in that chair and tie your hair back." Ino handed her an elastic and a hair band sitting on top of the delicate-looking dresser. Sakura took them hesitantly and did as she was told, watching as Ino searched through the walk-in closet a few feet away.

"Um… is it okay to look through Hinata's… stuff?" Sakura questioned. It looked rather suspicious, in her own humble opinion.

"Yeah, Hinata said she'd gotten a whole lot of makeup we could use for tonight—like an entire set, complete with brushes and a whole lot of colors. Some family friend from some big name cosmetic company gave it to her but she never it used before, so she said I could try it. It's super high quality, I bet you, so I'm really excited to use it."

"…Why do _I_ have to tie my hair back, then?" Sakura asked. It couldn't be that…

"I'm putting some on you, too, of course," came the cool reply.

Sakura automatically recoiled at the idea.

"Oh, c'mon." Ino rolled her eyes when she noticed Sakura's expression. "It's gonna be like a ball from the olden days! We're even gonna waltz and stuff! And you know who's gonna be there? _Everybody_. Especially Sasuke-kun's fangirls! We can't lose to them, got it?"

Sakura had had no intention of competing with them in any area, least of all in the looks department. "I don't want to." _I don't want to dress up. Not for him. _It would definitely give him the wrong idea, and… well, she had nothing against wanting to look pretty, but there was nobody she wanted to impress, anyway.

"Oh, shut up," Ino said with a huff as she began putting some kind of liquid over Sakura's cheeks and forehead. "Every girl wants to be a Cinderella deep down inside. Even you."

Well, it _did _feel nice being pampered this way. That, Sakura couldn't deny at all.

.

.

_Cinderella, will you dance with me?_

.

Naruto couldn't move anything but his blue eyes when Sakura emerged from behind the door. Ino looked great in her tight, tastefully revealing black dress, but she _always _did; that wasn't a surprise. Ino was renowned for being Konoha's top eye candy, right along the ranks of Uchiha Sasuke himself. But _Sakura_ looking so… This new image had shocked Naruto completely. Sakura looked like a gorgeous princess from some land far, far away, with her pink hair curled into loose ringlets and a timid smile on her pink lips.

Ino was already on the move, running off orders for last minute preparations for the party, but Naruto, the co-organizer, could only stand still and stare at the pink-haired beauty that stood before him.

For once, he applauded Ino's work.

He had always known Sakura-chan was pretty—she was _very_ pretty, _super_ pretty, _amazingly _pretty, biased though he was (though she _was_ a bit on the skinny side), but… but… she looked so _beautiful _in that scarlet dress. It brought out the slight pink in her cheeks and lips, and made her eyes look a deeper, more intense green. The make-up probably helped, giving her eyes an extra density that made her look both mysterious and flirty, but Naruto was confident that most of this sudden charm was attributed to the red Sakura was wearing. Sakura looked truly _alive _with that bright color on her body. Normally she looked tired and pale and lifeless, but with that flattering red, it seemed like energy had been injected into her body and given her a glowing light.

And for some reason, in the back of his consciousness, he couldn't help but think the shade of the dress looked almost like the color of fresh blood.

But his heart was beating too quickly for him to take that arbitrary thought into any serious account, because right then, he was too busy wondering if maybe, just maybe, possibly, sortofkindofmaybe, he had fallen in love with his best friend's next door neighbor tonight.

.

.

_I would love to dance with you, my Prince—that was supposed to be the answer_

.

"Quiet down, guys!" Ino shouted. "Sasuke-kun will be arriving soon—Naruto went to grab him a while ago. They're coming in a taxi right now. When the door opens, we have to say, 'Happy birthday!', and confetti will rain down. Try not to get too surprised by that, okay? There's gonna be a lot. Then the music will start and we'll all starting dancing! Got it? And by dancing, I mean formal dancing, not, um, grinding. Or anything like that. Okay?"

The attending crowd cheered enthusiastically, as Sakura took a long look around the huge room. The Hyuuga estate was probably the biggest house she had ever seen in her life, much less entered into—she felt afraid to even take a step on the perfectly clean, waxed floor, especially not with the black stilettos that Ino had forced onto her feet. Sakura had, in vain, tried to take them off, but they had been made in a strange design that she couldn't quite get undone, and so she would have to remain in them until Ino was willing to take them off of her.

Sakura shifted nervously from one foot to the other. Everything in this outrageous large house seemed fragile and beautiful and spotless, and it made her incredibly nervous to even stand in the corner of the room as she did now, for fear of breaking something. She didn't like this kind of uncomfortable, pressuring setting. There were too many people, too much space, and too many breakable things. She wanted to go home to her little apartment and sleep, but just as the idea to escape crossed her mind, the lights were already dimming and people were quieting.

The two front doors opened up to reveal a grinning blond, whose arm was around a slight taller boy's shoulders. Sasuke's expression contained slight amusement and some wariness as they stepped into the house. A spotlight shined onto them and there a was a great cheer.

"Happy birthday!" cried the crowd, as they rushed forward to greet him. His fangirls were the first to tackle him with their congratulatory shriek. Sakura watched them curiously, mostly entertained by their childish antics… and there was a slight tinge of annoyance and frustration welling up in her chest, as well. Once the fangirls moved aside, some more polite and respectful people approached him to give him congratulations. Sasuke seemed generally unmoved by this, though he was certainly enjoying himself.

She was surprised when the orchestra behind her began blaring a loud, but gentle melody, and was even more surprised when a hand took hers and twirled her around.

"U-Uzumaki-san?" she squeaked, as his familiar face appeared right in front of hers, so close that their noses brushed.

"It's Naruto, remember?" he said, smiling. "I thought we went over this."

She looked away, feeling her face grow a bit hotter.

"Will you dance with me, Sakura-chan?" he asked her. His face seemed a little red.

She stared at him. "…Eh?"

"I… want to dance with you." He wrapped one arm around her waist and used his free hand to turn her face towards his. Their eyes met. The blue of his eyes were more intense than usual, it seemed, as they stared into her green.

"I… I'm not very good at dancing," she replied, breaking the eye contact.

His reply was confident and dismissive. "I'll lead," he told her.

"No, I really—Wah!"

He pulled her from the wall and towards the open, glossy floor before she could finish her sentence.

.

.

_but I didn't know if I wanted to dance with that Prince_

.

Sakura often caught her vampire consort's gaze during that first dance, and they would, for a split second, meet each other's eyes, as she danced with Naruto across the Hyuuga mansion's perfect floor.

_You're here? _the black irises seemed to be saying. _Why?_

Well, she didn't really know, either.

She turned away, then, from those expectant black eyes, unable to give him any answer. She caught sight of Tenten and Neji dancing together discreetly away from the center. Neji looked rather pleased with the situation, but Tenten was as oblivious as ever, chattering away in a loud voice. About what, though, Sakura couldn't hear from this distance. Ino was trying to convince both Shikamaru and Chouji to stop snacking and dance with her. They were all standing by the long tables of elaborate and colorful food, but even Ino was eating along with them. From the corner of her eye, Sakura could see that Lee was doing some kind of disco routine by himself, and Hinata was in the arms of a surprisingly groomed and well-dressed Inuzuka Kiba.

The usually rough-looking boy was looking at Hinata with a longing sort of gaze, with the intensity only a lover would normally possess. But wasn't the Hyuuga heiress in love with Naruto, whose hands were placed on Sakura's shoulder and waist right then? Sakura could see how Hinata often glanced over their way every few seconds, her pale eyes sad, but a determined little smile remaining on her soft pink lips.

Sakura decided to make sure that Naruto would ask Hinata for the next dance. She needed a rest, anyway. Dancing certainly wasn't her thing.

.

.

_I didn't know if I should stay with that Prince_

.

The look of pure joy that lighted the young Hyuuga girl's face as Naruto took her hand and brought her onto the dance floor caused a smile to appear on Sakura's own lips. She couldn't help but think the pair looked surprisingly good together. Naruto was a bit short for his age, standing at 5'7, but little Hinata was also petite. Besides, Naruto had years ahead to grow taller. They contrasted, but not in a bad way, with her dark hair and his sunshine, her pale eyes and his intense blue, her pale skin against his tanned. They had the same sort of atmosphere, as well, and their bright smiles mirrored each other's.

In a way, they looked somewhat like a married couple, complementing each other.

Sakura wondered how Hinata could have fallen in love with somebody that was so different from her, but maybe it was because of their dissimilarity that Hinata had fallen for her utter foil. Those pale eyes were often full of admiration when they landed on the visage of the cheerful blond, but it wasn't only admiration—there was a deepness of emotion there in the silvery gaze that Sakura couldn't quite understand. It was love, but there was something darker and melancholic, as if Hinata were hiding a secret—

"Why are you staring at Naruto?" asked a low voice in her ear.

Sakura jumped and turned so fast that her nose brushed against the vampire's chin. "I'm not," she countered, and stepped away.

"Then who are you looking at?" Sasuke asked her, that ever-present smirk on his lips.

"…Hinata."

He tilted his head a tiny bit to the side. "Why?"

She felt her cheeks flush slightly red. "…No reason," she said. As if she could say the real reason: that she was envious of the girl's sweetness and honesty… and that Hinata might have a darker side that nobody knew about.

"You're not a homosexual, are you?" he questioned, his deep voice teasing. "You seem to hate men in general, after all."

Sakura just turned and walked away, unwilling to answer such a question. The answer was that she wasn't, but not only was it rude to her, it was making light of a serious issue that haunted much of the westernized world.

He really was such a self-centered bastard.

"I was joking," he said, as he followed after her.

"…Whatever." She didn't hate all men—she had loved one, once. Or thought she did, anyway.

"Really?"

She remained silent—until he abruptly grabbed her hand and started pulling her the opposite direction.

"Just what the hell are you doing?" she asked in a furious whisper.

"Kidnapping you," he said, as if it were something happy.

She tried to pull her hand away but his strength was, as should've been expected, far superior to hers. He pulled her along towards the balcony, where the expanse of the sky was a foreboding black. There were no stars here in the city; Sakura remembered how the sky had looked a while ago at the beach, on the walk with Naruto.

Her fingers reached up to her lips at the memory of their unexpected kiss.

"What are you thinking about, Sakura?" the vampire asked her, as he lazily slung his arms around her slim neck.

That was a dangerous question to answer truthfully. "I want to go home," she said, changing the route of their conversation.

"It's only been a few hours." His black gaze was searing. "It's eleven-twenty."

"I've been here since noon," she replied, looking down at her stilettos. She couldn't help but note that the vampire who stood before her had eyes even darker than the perfectly ink-colored shoes on her feet.

"You love me that much?"

She looked up hastily to glare at him. "Your…_ friends_ brought me here."

"Is that why you're all dressed up?" he asked, and his dark gaze traveled down from her head to her feet.

Sakura bit her lip.

"So where's my birthday present from you, anyway?" he asked, and stepped a little closer.

"…I didn't think I had to get you one," she said stiffly. A lie, a lie—she hadn't been able to find a suitable one for him. That was the real reason.

Not allowing even a moment for her to breath in, her vampire consort pressed his lips against hers for a brief second, so quickly that Sakura didn't even comprehend what was happening until he had already pulled away.

"I'll take that kiss as a present, then," he said, and playfully pinched her nose. "And seeing you dressed up like this—I'm thoroughly entertained." Another haughty smirk; Sakura just stared at him blankly, not allowing any emotion to arrange her face. He let go of her nose after a moment and brushed past her to head back into the dance room. "Oh, and, you look… _ravishing_, by the way. Don't let anybody else touch you but me," he called back towards her just before slipping inside, leaving her alone on the balcony to fume.

.

.

_I didn't even know if my Prince was a Prince at all_

_._

It was funny to make her angry, Sasuke mused, because it was only then that she really allowed emotion to take over herself. She seemed the most alive when she was frustrated, because her cheeks would turn a healthier pink and her emerald eyes would become windows of pure, human feeling.

But he had been discovering other sides of her, lately. Like her sad face. Her confused face. Her wistful face. Her nervous face. Her embarrassed face. No matter how hard that girl might try to keep a cold expression, he could see through her façade. Haruno Sakura was as human as Ino or Naruto was, with feelings that made their way onto her face and tinged her words with more than the deadness she tried to maintain.

Yes, she was human. Human, and so very breakable.

.

.

_but I think I'll give him a try_

_._

Sakura pulled nervously at a strand of her curled hair.

His kiss really was superior, after all.

.

.

…_and so, the clock struck twelve_

.

The huge grandfather clock rang out a gentle harmony of bells exactly on the stroke of midnight. Somehow, to the vampire who was sipping a glass of sparkling cider, and to his human consort who stood outside on the balcony, her cheeks a faint pink, the melodic chiming sounded a bit like an omen.


	13. power

[A/N] I had a REALLY good weekend. How about you guys? :)

So here's Chapter 13... heehee. I actually liked writing this chapter (I'm so morbid XD and actually, my fave chappie so far was the last one, 12), but you guys'll have to excuse me as I'm not the best at writing action. I just sort of envision the battle in my mind and write down what I generally see, but it's a bit difficult for me to put a mental image into words. I'LL GET BETTER WITH TIME... I hope.

HAPPY READING~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter <strong>**from ****the ****Rain  
><strong>a vampire fic

13} power

.

.

_sometimes the urge to protect overpowers everything else_

.

"Be careful, Sakura."

The girl looked up at him with wary green eyes. "What?" she asked, her brow contorting into an expression of confusion.

"I said, be careful," Sasuke repeated.

"…Why?"

"Just watch out." Sasuke ran a hand through his hair—a gesture of nervousness. "I have a feeling…" It wasn't exactly something he could explain. His intuition was telling him that _something_ was going to happen, and happen soon. It was a growing mass of fear in the pit of his stomach. Sakura was in danger; that much he could tell. Even worse, the curse seal on the back of his neck had been bothering him lately, aching and itching to spread. Only his willpower, gained from years of training with Kakashi, was keeping it bay.

All in all, circumstances were simply growing more dangerous for them.

"A feeling of _what?_" the girl asked.

"I don't really know," he said, and it was the truth.

Sakura bit her lip and looked away. "You never want to tell me anything," she murmured, so softly that he probably wouldn't have heard it, if he hadn't been paying such close attention to the quivering of her bottom lip.

"Do you expect me to?" He leaned in close and pressed his mouth to her ear. "But if I tell you, Sakura, you have to tell me things about you, too." He blew a blast of hot breath. "It's called fair trade."

Sakura stepped away and shifted the grocery basket from one hand to another. "Bastard," she said maliciously, as she rubbed her ear with her sleeve.

The tip of his mouth twitched. "Ah, calling me that again?" he questioned.

"Uzu…" She caught herself. "Naruto calls you that, too."

"It's a pet name, in his case," he told her. "You say it as if it were true."

Sakura rolled her eyes and began walking down the aisle of fruit, pausing momentarily to pick up a bag of apples and add it to the basket.

"You really like those," Sasuke said.

She shot him a speculative glance. "So what?"

He ignored her question. "You've been getting… sassier lately," he said, tilting his head slightly.

"…Sassier," she echoed dully.

"Talking more. Speaking back." He leaned in a bit closer, so close she could feel his hot breath. "Growing more confident."

She stepped away once again. "I've always been like this," she said.

"You still don't talk much to other people, though."

"I don't know them—"

"So you know me really well, then?" Sakura seemed to finally realize she was falling into his little trap. A smirk of satisfaction made its way onto Sasuke's lips.

"As if I'd want to," was all she could manage to retort. He said nothing in reply, having clearly won, and with that, they continued on their way through the grocery store.

It was just another typical Saturday morning.

.

.

_but that was all about to change_

.

Sakura quickly grabbed a package of _katsuobushi_ and dropped it into the basket hanging from her arm. She glanced over to the boy who stood beside her, checking to see if he'd noticed her little addition to the pile of groceries in the green basket. Luckily, Sasuke's attention was straying; he was looking at a group of girls standing nearby the snacks, probably arguing over which to buy.

Was he thirsty again? Or was he… interested in them?

She began walking away, and he quickly turned his focus back to her when he heard her footsteps. She headed quickly over to the counter to get her items checked out by the cashier. This time it was an elderly man, whose only attention was on the money that Sakura was handing him instead of on the boy/vampire, whose hand rested on her waist like it belonged there.

"Thank you, and have a nice day," the old man said, without much sincerity. Sakura gave him a brief, shallow smile as she headed towards the automatic doors with her two bags.

"Let me take that," Sasuke said, reaching down and grabbing one of them from her.

"Pretending to be a gentleman?" she asked him coolly.

His smirk reappeared. "Only for you," he replied, as he slid the bag over one arm.

Sakura just rolled her eyes and looked away, towards the other side of the street. As she did so, she caught sight of a young woman holding a small baby wrapped in a light blue blanket walking along the road. Sakura couldn't help herself from smiling at the sight. "Cute…" she murmured aloud.

Unfortunately, Sasuke heard her. "Oh?" His expression grew mirthful. "_Haruno Sakura_ thinks babies are _cute_?"

Could he get any more annoying? "I do."

He quirked a brow at her. "Hm. Do you plan to have one in the future?"

"…I don't know." Sakura looked up towards the sky, pondering. After a moment of silence, she inquired hesitantly, "Can vampires have babies?"

Another arrogant smirk tinged his pale lips. He had an endless supply of them, it seemed. "Are you implying that you will have a baby of mine in the future?"

She gave him no worded reply, only a deep gaze that was full of a negative answer.

He let her get away with it. "To answer your question, yes. Vampires are pretty much humans, after all, just more… predatory."

"So humans and vampires can have children together?" That was a strange concept. "But they're different species…?" She did realize that what she was saying certainly sounded like she was interesting in having a child with him, but she was too curious to stop herself from asking and saving herself from the consequences.

His response surprised her. "They can. But the children will always be human."

Sakura stopped walking at that. "…What?" she questioned.

He slowed, too. "The human desire to live is so strong, it suppresses the vampire blood, I guess." He pulled the plastic grocery bag a little higher on his arm. "Being a vampire is like a disease. Nature pretty much rejects our existence. We're not supposed to be alive, after all."

"Vampires aren't… eh."

What he said next was even more confusing, and totally unexpected. "Do you believe in magic?" he asked.

She hesitated. "Magic?"

"Yes. Do you believe in it?"

"…What does that have to do with vampires?"

"Everything."

Another long pause initiated before another tentative "What?" finally came out of the girl's mouth.

"It used to exist, you know," he said amiably, as if this were the most typical conversation in the world, more common than the weather. "Magic, I mean."

Sakura was now thoroughly lost.

He smirked and pulled at her sleeve to tacitly tell her to start walking again. "Humans used to be able to use magic long ago. Never heard of that?"

"Never."

"Magic nowadays is all about tricking the eyes with illusions, or it's fantasy stories about wizards. But thousands of years ago, it was pretty serious stuff. People used to rage war on each other all the time, using their magic against each other, and then one day, they decided to use themselves as weapons."

This conversation was taking a much darker turn than Sakura had initially expected. "…Weapons?" she asked tentatively. Then she made the connection. "You mean… _vampires_…?"

"Exactly. They experimented with corpses and created crazy monsters that would suck other peoples' blood." He then gestured towards himself. "And here I am today, generations and generations later. This is what we've become."

"You're joking," she said stonily. "This sounds like the script of a horror film."

The vampire simply shrugged his shoulders. "Believe what you want, Sakura. But I'm telling you this for your own good." He turned away and hefted the grocery bag a little higher. "Vampires were created from evil and we still aren't much more than that." He glanced back to give her another brief smirk. "Stay aware of what I am, or I might kill you some day."

.

.

_maybe I should have listened_

.

"You guys all ready?"

"Oi, Tayuya, is this really necessary? We agreed to help, but this is a bit far."

"The hell, Jirobo? The bastard damn near killed me. He's so full of himself, just 'cause he's got some fucking Uchiha blood in him. I know you all hate him."

"Yeah, yeah. We'll do it, so stop shouting. Orochimaru-sama wants to kill that human girl anyway, right?"

"That pink-haired chick? Too bad. She's cute."

"Shut up, Kidomaru."

"He seems to like that human girl a lot, doesn't he?"

"Fuck her, and fuck him, too."

"Then… let's go and get this shit started."

.

.

_I really should've_

.

He felt it again, this time, that sickening feeling from earlier, but it was stronger this time, like it was enveloping his heart and chest and mind—

"Sakura," he growled.

"What?"

"Get behind me."

She cast him a cautious look, but when she noticed his serious expression, she obeyed and stood at his back. The sun was already setting, sinking below the horizon, and just as she was about to ask what was going on, her answer came: Four various silhouettes appeared, leaping out of the shadows, and landed lightly in front of them.

One, the only female, stepped forward and spat on the ground as a greeting. "Didn't forget about me, now, did you?" she said patronizingly, her red eyes focused on the face of her vampire superior.

"Tayuya," Sasuke replied, the tone blank. Sakura could see how tightly her consort's fists were clenched, held at his side, though his expression was remarkably serene.

"Still with that girl?" the female vampire inquired. "Looking as skinny and unattractive as ever."

Sakura remained silent, but Sasuke was growing more and more agitated. "What are you doing here?" he asked Tayuya quietly, each word taut.

"I said I'd come back, idiot," she answered with a dark smile. The words barely left her mouth when the four figures suddenly lunged towards them.

Sasuke immediately took up a protective stance, his teeth bared and his hands held rigid like an animal's sharp claws. "Sakura," he said, as the figures drew nearer. There was a slight pause, then, and she waited for him to continue, though her body was screaming at her to hide. He finally continued, "I won't be able to protect you very well against four, so I recommend you run, although they'll probably catch you."

She most likely would have listened to him, but it was too late now; just as she was about to step back, a dark-skinned vampire with a ponytail of thick, black hair was at her side.

"Hello, pretty lady," he said with a grin, and he reached for her throat.

It was slapped away by a familiar pale hand. "Don't touch her," came the deep-throated snarl. Sasuke's hand was pressed against her waist, reassuring her a tiny bit—it was the only familiar thing in this foreign setting.

"Did you fall in love with a human, oh great Sasuke-sama?" another voice cried gleefully.

Sasuke had to whip around to grab the sharp-nailed hand trying to take hold of his throat. "If you kill me, Tayuya, Orochimaru-sama will not be happy," he said.

"I never said I was going to kill you," Tayuya replied, and with an intense speed Sakura had never witnessed before, jabbed her other hand towards Sasuke's stomach. The sharp nails made contact with his chest. Sakura couldn't see from her angle behind him, but the sound of the fingers impaling her consort's flesh was enough to tell her that this was going to be a losing battle. It was one against four, and that one had to protect another.

She and he were going to get killed, weren't they?

Sakura could only stand still as fear spread over her body, locking her legs in place. Sasuke had to protect her, and though he was sufficiently fending off the other four vampires with his superior speed, he had to guard Sakura as well, leaving him much more vulnerable to attack. She could see the sweat dripping down his face, and his light blue shirt was drenched in blood where Tayuya had pierced him with her entire hand.

With each passing second, he was losing speed and power in his fluid movements.

"_Freeze,_" Sasuke panted, and time seemed to halt. Everybody stopped moving but Sasuke, who took the opportunity to wipe his forehead with his hand. Even Sakura could feel the pressure of his words on her body, though she couldn't have moved anyway with her deplorable shaking. The four vampires struggled for a moment, eyes narrowed and fingers twitching. Sakura could tell that the spell or whatever Sasuke's power would be called was weak—it probably grew less powerful with the more people he had to control, and the fact he was exhausted probably didn't help the cause much, either.

"He has the same power Orochimaru does!" Tayuya yelled as a warning, and her companions all seemed to pale a little at her words. "But it's weak this time, so _fight it_, damn it, and let's get him!"

And with that, they broke free and flew towards him.

"_Sasuke-kun!_" Sakura screamed as he was knocked to the ground right in front of her. She realized that the spell had been a last resort; he seemed unable to even lift his head as he lied there on the floor, an apology hanging there in the two dark eyes that gazed back at her.

"How about we kill him?" the largest of the four attackers said, and he kicked the side of Sasuke's head. Sasuke didn't give any response, but Sakura could see the way his expression contorted into one of pain.

"Shut up, Jirobo," Tayuya responded. "If anyone's killing him, it's _me_." She thrust her foot into Sasuke's stomach to make a point, and this time a deep groan escaped the boy's lips.

"No, that'd be me," the dark-skinned one said. "You know what shit he's done to me? Tried to kill me once, the little _bastard_—" Another powerful kick sent Sasuke rolling another foot away; Sakura's breath hitched at the sight. "And nearly did, too."

Another approached them, then, and two voices seemed to speak at the same time: "We want to kill him the most." Sakura stared with horrid fascination at the fourth member of Tayuya's group. The vampire had two heads, one where it would normally be, and then one directly behind it, facing the back.

_An experiment…? _Sakura wondered, terrified. But Sasuke had said the experiments that had created vampires were long, long ago… perhaps this man—or men, she might say—had been born like this, and then changed into a vampire? Or was he born as a vampire with two heads?

Tayuya crouched down beside Sasuke, who still remained unmoving on the floor. "Hey, Sasuke," she said, sounding almost sweet. "Maybe I'll try some of your blood, this time. The blood of our next sovereign…" And she lowered her head towards his neck.

.

.

_I really, really should've listened_

.

Looking back on it, Sakura would have realized the only reason the vampires didn't even bother with her was because she was weak. She was human.

But thanks to that, suddenly she was flying towards Sasuke with only one thought in mind: _I'll protect him. _And next thing she knew, she had thrown herself over her consort's limp body, one of her hands covering his throat and the other against Tayuya's face, pushing her and her feral teeth away from Sasuke.

"No more!" Sakura screamed. "Just kill me, stop hurting him like that…!" The bloody, bruised body that she was lying over was hardly moving. Pitiful, so pitiful—and all for her sake. If she hadn't been here, he could've run. He could've been safe.

So Sakura flung herself at the other woman and began throwing wild, blind punches, needing to destroy her, to hurt this arrogant little bitch who had caused all of this to happen. She felt satisfaction in the way the vampire's pale cheeks were darkening to a deep red, even as the older woman's hands were sinking some very sharp nails into Sakura's sides. Though she certainly could feel the bloody punctures and their consequential pain, Sakura remained mobile and continued ramming her fists into Tayuya's cheeks.

"_Kill her!_" Tayuya shouted frantically. Just as Sakura lifted another fist to thrust into the enemy's face once more, a pair of large, powerful hands grabbed her thin arms and pulled her up and away.

Sakura glared at him. The dark-skinned vampire smiled back at her, and wrapped one of his hands around both Sakura's wrists. With his free hand, he reached for her face and slid a finger down her cheek and onto her neck. "I'll bite this pretty throat of yours in half," he said softly, and Sakura bit her lip in preparation for an everlasting black night.

But there was no need. "Get your hands off of her," a familiar, deep voice commanded.

A rush of relief swept through Sakura's body as she turned her head to see Sasuke slowly rising to his feet again. But… "Sasuke-kun?" she called out to him hesitantly. He didn't look at her. Something was different about him, very different—and then she realized it: There was a strange aura around him, and it felt like…

Like death and hatred and pain.

As she watched him with worried eyes, there seemed to be strange dark marks moving across his body. They looked almost like a moving tattoo of fire, consuming his pale skin with their patches of black. What was going on?

"Sakura," he suddenly said, his voice low, and their gazes met.

She stared at him, silent and afraid.

He smirked. "Close your eyes."

.

.

_and I listened_

.

Sasuke felt like the world was at his fingertips. The immense power that came from releasing the seal was like high ecstasy, spreading vivid feeling and bursts of energy through every fiber of his being. This battle was too easy, now.

He took hold of Tayuya's head and threw her, slamming her back into a far-off tree. Jirobo, the largest of the four attackers, ran towards him with a fist as Sakon and Ukon held Sasuke, pinning him to their chest. But Sasuke only smirked, kicking in the two-headed vampire's right leg, slamming their faces with the back of his arm, knocking them to the ground. As Jirobo swung his fist, Sasuke merely dodged and jammed the side of his hand into the back of Jirobo's neck, knocking him unconscious.

He sauntered over to where Kidomaru held down Sakura.

"I'll kill her!" Kidomaru threatened, and aimed for Sakura's throat with his fangs, but before his teeth could touch her pale skin, Sasuke was suddenly behind him.

"Fuck you!" Sakon and Ukon cried, having stood up again, and they aimed their fangs at Sasuke's shoulder, but he could sense them. He took hold of the back of Kidomaru's shirt and threw the other vampire over his head into the twin-headed vampire's direction. Kidomaru's flying body knocked Sakon and Ukon on the floor, leaving them breathless.

Sasuke walked over and dug the heel of his foot into Kidomaru's back, then lifted his foot and stomped, hard.

Yes, the power flowing in him was immense. But this was dangerous for Sasuke, as well—every release of the curse seal deteriorated him from the inside more and more, and already he could feel the sadistic glee that was spreading through his body. It urged him to spill more blood and to destroy their bodies. The need for domination was taking over his body.

"Dammit," Sakon and Ukon cursed, and Kidomaru made one more half-hearted attempt to claw at his throat. But they knew that victory wasn't possible when he released the seal and let loose the power Orochimaru had granted him as a child.

"Leave now, or I'll kill you all," he said calmly, and licked one of his fingers. His hands were covered with blood, and he took delight in the salty taste of the scarlet while the three pairs of eyes all glared at him. Kidomaru and Sakon and Ukon weaky got up and grabbed Jirobo and Tayuya's limp bodies. There was nothing more they could do but leave; they had clearly lost, after all. With a few more condemning shouts, they leapt away into the shadows, dripping blood and sweat.

He then turned to look back at his bride, whose eyes were still clamped tight as she stood at the side of the road, quivering hands clasped together.

"Sakura," he called to her. "It's okay, now."

She opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light of the streetlights. Then the green met his black.

Pure _want _shot through his body, his teeth aching to slide into her jugular and kill her. Sasuke stepped back, trying to increase the distance between them, and he summoned all the willpower within him. _Go away, go away, go away, _he mentally chanted, trying to force the black marks on his body to retreat and close the curse seal as quickly as possible.

_He could sense the blood running through her body…_

"Sasuke-kun...?"

_A crimson flow that was just under her skin…_

He turned his gaze away from the human that stood a few feet away, her green eyes watching him. He grit his teeth. This pain was bearable, at least. His neck throbbed with every pulse of his heart, but if he didn't force his desire to drink away—

_With a single bite, he could taste her…_

The last of the marks retreated, then, and with the loss of the urge to dominate came the loss of energy. He felt himself swaying, unable to keep stable on his feet.

"You're safe," Sasuke managed to whisper, meeting her emerald eyes. His lips weakly curved into a slight smile.

Sakura's expression changed into one of surprise, and that was the last thing Sasuke saw before he closed his eyes and promptly fell to the floor in a faint.


	14. hospital

[A/N] I love dubstep. It's one of the few things that never fail to make me happy. But hey, did you guys make 11/11/11 11:11:11 wishes? I did!

And I'm sorry for taking so long to update -_-; It's been a shitty past few weeks.

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter <strong>**from ****the ****Rain  
><strong>a vampire fic

14} hospital

.

.

_burden me; tell me the things you never told anybody before_

.

Sasuke woke up in a foreign white room, with a needle inserted into his arm. Blinking as his eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming in through the curtain-less window, he sleepily followed the trail of clear tube that connected the needle to a bag hanging overhead. Then he realized he was hooked up to an IV.

Had he really been so badly injured?

The vampire's thoughts were interrupted when the door opened to reveal a young, pretty-faced nurse, dressed in a pristine white uniform. "Good morning, Uchiha-san," she greeted him chirpily, and walked over to where he lay on the hospital bed with a bright smile.

"What the hell am I doing here?" he asked her, pulling himself up into a sitting position.

The nurse's smile twitched. "Please be careful! You are a patient," she said, as she extended her arms toward him in order to help, but he pushed her friendly hands away.

"Just tell me why I'm here," he said.

She huffed a little at his lack of courtesy, but answered, "Your friend brought you here."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Friend?"

"A girl with long, light-colored hair. She said her name was Haruno."

Sasuke couldn't stop himself from smirking. So Sakura had dragged him to the hospital after he'd fainted? How very kind of her. He would tease her about it later. Right now, there were other, more urgently pressing issues to think about. "Shizune," he said.

The nurse gave him a long, despairing look. "Oh, c'mon. Couldn't you keep pretending not to know me? I was playing the kind, unknowing nurse role so well."

"I wouldn't have treated a nurse I didn't know this badly," he replied.

"So you admit you treat me badly."

"_Shizune_."

She sighed. "_What?_"

"I need blood," he said stoically.

"Already?" The nurse crossed her arms. "And what makes you think I'd be willing to get some for you?"

"Otherwise, I'll find another patient or some nurse and bite their necks until I'm satisfied," he answered.

She wasn't fazed. "You are such a selfish brat."

"Then get me blood and I won't have to do anything drastic. You're a vampire, too." He met her eyes. "Don't act like you don't know how it feels when you're thirsty."

Shizune glared. "I'm training under one of the most prestigious doctors in Japan, and you're going to make me sneak into the blood banks and steal you some, just so you can satisfy your thirst? What if I'm caught, huh? I'll be kicked out of my position, or at the very least put on probation." Shizune's expression grew worried. "Not to mention the humiliation I'd feel..."

"You won't be caught," Sasuke said coolly.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I trust you."

There was a small moment of silence as Shizune stared at him; then the nurse rolled her dark eyes and shook her head. "Your sweet talk doesn't work with me, _Sasu-chan_," she said. "I've known you since you first came to the society. In my mind, you're still that stupid, lost little eight-year-old child, and I don't think I should be listening to a brat like you order me around. I am _the _Tsunade-sama's apprentice, you know. I'm basically number two in this hospital's hierarchy."

"You only got this job because of your uncle," was Sasuke's sullen reply.

"There's nothing wrong with using your connections to get you far," she said, rolling her eyes. "Kakashi's helped you a lot, too. Helped you escape that society you hated so much, for instance… And, of course, escape Orochimaru. Aren't you thankful for that?"

The dark eyes glanced over to the window, avoiding Shizune's deep gaze. "He's under obligation to Itachi. He had no other choice but to help me."

The nurse gave the boy a sad little smile. "You've always been a cynical, precocious kid, Sasuke, being so smart... but you've still got a lot to learn about people." She poked his forehead—a very nostalgic gesture for the younger vampire. Sasuke shot her a piercing glare, but she just laughed gently and told him, "I'll get you some blood, since I'm feeling nice today. So, sit tight and shut up for a while. And don't tell Tsunade-sama, seriously."

"Why would I do that?" he retorted. "It would give away our identities."

Shizune shook her head tiredly. "You're some tough company to be with. I wonder how Kakashi-san managed to live with and take care of you for so many years." She then turned on her heel and headed to the door. "Try to be more thankful for what you've got, Sasuke, instead of sulking over what you don't."

The door shut behind her before he could give any quick-witted retort.

.

.

_be happy with what you have, right?_

.

"I'm so selfish." Sakura lied with her back on the bed, her blankets thrown on the floor. Her arm covered her eyes, hiding the dark circles around them that she had earned from acute lack of sleep. "I'm so, so selfish…"

The only thing she had been able to do was drag his unconscious body to the nearest hospital in return for him keeping her safe. For taking all those attacks from those vampires when he could've dodged and saved himself instead. For getting his abdomen pierced almost all the way through and destroying his insides. For bleeding enough that the concrete had been dyed red, so much that the police had investigated the scene all morning before deciding it wasn't worth the time. For getting so badly hurt he would be stuck in the hospital for at least a week.

He'd been watching over her ever since that first night he'd bitten her neck, and yet, for all this time, she'd only been thinking about herself.

She really was so intolerably selfish.

.

.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun_

.

"Room 184," the lady at the desk said, her lips taut and forcibly pulled up in one corner out of politeness.

"Um… thank you." Sakura returned the (not very genuine) smile with one of her timid own, and then turned and headed down the hallway to the left. She glanced at each door she passed, counting along: _180, 182, 184_—here it was. She took hold of the door's handle, and prepared herself by taking a deep breath.

And then she hesitated.

There were… voices? Was that was she was hearing? Very, very quietly, she turned the handle and opened the door a crack. She peered in curiously and let out a deep sigh. She should've been expecting it, she thought with a small exhale of breath. Though it was summer vacation, news still spread unbelievably quickly among Konoha's students. He had been put into the hospital only last night, and already his fangirls were on the move. They crowded the small private room, sitting on the bed beside him and standing around the bed he lay on. Countless gift-wrapped little boxes of chocolate, a thousand or so Get Well cards and vividly colored bouquets decorated the room, when only yesterday the space had been totally empty.

No wonder the woman at the front desk had seemed agitated—she probably assumed Sakura was another member of the I-Love-Uchiha-Sasuke mob.

The green eyes turned towards the lounging figure she had come to the hospital to see. Sasuke's expression was content as he lied there on the bed, surrounded by his admiring fangirls. He was speaking with them quietly, that ever familiar smirk on his lips, and a few of the girls leaned down teasingly close, pressing their hands against his chest and letting the scent of the expensive perfume on their necks reach their beloved idol's nostrils.

_Arrogant jerk._

Sakura shut the door, all courage and spirit lost, and she threw her own gift for him on the floor before she stomped her way back home.

.

.

_I'd often childishly wish that I had never met you then_

.

Just as she was about to step out into the hallway and finally give Sasuke some peace, Yamanaka Ino, the last fangirl visiting him, paused in her footsteps, her hand still on the doorknob. The boy sitting on the hospital bed let out a small groan; destiny was simply not on his side today. Sasuke didn't generally mind Ino's presence, but this afternoon, he was feeling slightly more frustrated than usual with her fake girly tone of voice and the way she thought she had to act like an idiot around him.

Why did girls think acting stupid would make the guy they liked think they were cute? Ino been almost attractive in middle school with her good lucks and sufficient intellect, he thought, until she'd decided she liked him. Then she put on pretentious and overly feminine airs that made him want to pick her up like a rice sack and toss her into the nearest dumpster.

"Sasuke, there's flowers by the door for you, I think. I almost stepped on them!" Ino called as she stepped back into the room, the bouquet of yellow daffodils sitting in the crook of her arm. She walked over to his bed and held them out to him.

He took them tentatively. "I don't care much for flowers," he said, eyeing them with a crooked frown. He turned to set them on the table and let them wilt, if they so desired, but Ino grabbed his hands and pushed the daffodils back towards his face.

"Shut up and take a look at them, would you?" the blonde scolded him. "They're gorgeous, after all." Then she flicked his nose. "I'm going home, now. Rest up. School's starting in a week or so. I bet you haven't done your summer homework yet, right? Better get started on that if you don't want Iruka-sensei to yell at you. I mean, he's already got to prepare for Naruto."

"Goodbye, Ino," was all he said, and the girl grinned.

"Byebye, Sasuke-kun."

After the door had shut behind her, Sasuke turned to set the flowers down again. The bouquet looked shiny in the sunlight streaming in through the wide window in the hospital room—and then something caught his eye: something long and thin, hanging loosely between the healthy green strands of the daffodils.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a strand of pink hair. He pulled it away, very gently, from the petals, and smiled.

.

.

_do you know the meaning of daffodils?_

.

Sakura went again the next day, and the next, and the next, and continued on so for the rest of that week, but she could never summon the willpower to stride into the room and start a conversation with him; after all, when he was surrounded by so many admiring fangirls, there was no room or need for her to be there. All she could do was leave another daffodil for him outside his door, send a little prayer wishing for his good health, and then return home.

She took a dejected seat on a bench outside the hospital. Today was the day before he was going to be released. Tomorrow night, he'd be freed from the constant health checks and medicine, as well as that terrible backless white robe that some of his fangirls were desperate to pull off of him.

Sakura had come every day without fail, unable to relieve the possibility in her head that he might need to drink her blood, but he seemed perfectly fine. His eyes retained their blackness, though sometimes she did think she glimpsed some scarlet reflected in his gaze when she peeked in the hospital room. How was he doing so well? Maybe he'd found a nurse that he seduced, or another patient, and took their blood… though he was supposed to stay in bed and let his body heal. Vampires probably healed faster than humans, though, Sakura supposed, since his body was oh so "superior", like he always claimed.

He was such a selfish idiot. And yet she couldn't even summon the courage to thank him for protecting her—

"Excuse me."

Sakura nearly jumped out of her seat. "Y-y-yes?" She looked up warily and met the dark eyes of a beautiful nurse with dark eyes and short, black hair, wearing the familiar Konoha Hospital uniform.

She looked… familiar?

"Have I met you before?" Sakura asked the older woman softly, gazing into the dark eyes.

"Not really." The nurse gave a little shrug, and asked, "Can I sit here?" as she pointed to the empty spot beside Sakura on the wooden bench. Sakura nodded, and the nurse gave her a smile as she took a seat.

Sakura felt strangely nervous sitting beside this woman. Threatened, almost. "Are you the nurse that's in charge of Sasuke-kun…?" she asked.

"That's right! My name's Shizune, by the way."

Maybe that was why Sakura recognized her? "Um… I'm Haruno Sakura."

"Haruno Sakura… the cherry blossom of spring, huh?" Shizune smiled. "Suits you, I think. Especially with that hair color and those green eyes."

"…Thank you." Sakura looked away; her namesake was a constant torment to her. "Excuse me for asking, but what are you doing here?"

"I'm a nurse here. Can't you tell by the uniform?" The woman gestured to her white clothes. "I'm training under Tsunade-sama currently. She's amazing."

Sakura shook her head. "No, I mean… why are you talking to me like this?" Normal people wouldn't just approach you and ask if they could sit beside you when there were several other available benches in the proximity.

The nurse's gaze was heavy. "Because I want to give you a warning," she replied.

"About... what?"

"About Uchiha Sasuke."

The emerald eyes narrowed. "You know Sasuke-kun?"

"I do," Shizune said. "I have, ever since he was eight years old."

When he was eight… and he was sixteen now. That meant she'd known him for half his life. "That's a long time," Sakura commented dully.

Shizune's dark eyes seemed to glimmer, and again, Sakura felt that strange fear pressing down on her. "But you know his secret too, don't you?"

"…His secret?" Did she mean…?

The nurse's dark eyes morphed into pure, hungry crimson. "What he truly is," she whispered.

Sakura looked into the nurse's eyes. Green and scarlet clashed. "A vampire," Sakura answered. "Like you." No wonder her life felt in danger; it was because she was sitting right beside one of Sasuke's species.

A predator of humankind.

The red eyes quickly changed back to their original ebony. "You're halfway there," Shizune said, and turned her gaze to the sky. "Haruno-san, listen to me. Staying with him is only going to bring you trouble."

"I know that," Sakura said. Already, his existence in her life had caused her far too many troubles, especially with his female horde of devout followers.

"No, you don't." Shizune's smile was sad. "You don't know what kind of hell that boy's gone through, and what's waiting for him in the future."

"I've dealt with hell before," Sakura said. _Isolation; the death of her mother. Realizing that a Happily Ever After is only a fairytale. That men can and will lie to your face and never repent._ "I can do it again." Her own tenacity was on the rise, Sakura though with an inward sigh. Why was she even saying such things?

_Because she was jealous of the nurse._

Damn it all to hell.

The nurse was oblivious to Sakura's mental cursing. "He's a monster, Haruno-san."

"I know that, too," Sakura sighed.

"Then why do you choose to stay with him when you know what he is? What _we_ are? Vampires are monsters. We can kill you. We can drain your blood and life, and then laugh it all away, like it's nothing. We don't think of humans as companions." The nurse turned around and met Sakura's eyes with her own bright red. "You are our _prey_."

Sakura shrugged. "I don't have a meaningful life, anyway. I might as well have a use for my body, even if it's only as food."

The red eyes drew closer as the female vampire leaned in close to Sakura's face. "If you stay with him… I can tell you with almost perfect certainty that he will cause your death, Haruno-san." Sakura met the dark eyes square on, without looking away. "Are you sure you know what you're doing? Do you really have so little respect for yourself? He's dangerous…. Even more than the rest of us. He's next in line as sovereign, you know, and that means Orochimaru has his eyes on him. You need to realize the risk you're taking by giving yourself up to his—"

_dare ka no sei da toka, dare ka no tame da toka, kurikaeshi, kurikaeshi, kimi wa usobuite…_

"Sorry, let me answer this... Hello?" Shizune said, as she flipped her ringing cellphone open and lifted it to her ear. "Eh? No, I'm outside. Well, I guess—wait, now? Yeah. Will I get paid for this? …Well, then sure. See you in a minute." Shizune shut her phone and turned back to face the girl sitting beside her. "I have to head back inside to do an errand," she said, "so I guess this is goodbye for now, Haruno-san."

"I… guess it is," Sakura said.

"But one last thing." Shizune leaned in close to the side of Sakura's head, so her lips hovered above Sakura's ear. She whispered a few quiet words in the girl's ear. Sakura's expression grew surprised, and the nurse gave her another melancholic smile before she turned around and headed back into the hospital.

.

.

_they were words that meant nothing… and yet everything_

.

That night, as she lay on her futon alone, Sakura had a nightmare, in which she was running away—from what, she couldn't remember when she woke up in a cold sweat, but she knew she didn't want to know.

Because if she did, she would have to accept the fact that she wasn't as strong as she believed herself to be.

And that meant she would have to run away, like she always did.

.

.

_that's when I began to understand something_

.

"You're free."

"Thanks," Sasuke said.

Shizune rolled her eyes. "You better be damn grateful, you brat. I did so much for you this past week."

In response, he smirked. "I'll tell you something good, then."

"What?"

"I overheard _the_ Tsunade-sama saying that she's thinking about pushing all her paperwork onto you today so she can go gambling."

Shizune made a heavy groaning sound. "Are you serious? I can't believe how irresponsible that woman can be, even when she's one of the most skilled doctors in the world. Don't spread this news around… well, she's already pretty infamous in town for being the worst gambler ever, so I guess it doesn't really matter."

Sasuke just shrugged. "I wouldn't know," he said, not really caring. "But have fun with your paperwork."

The older vampire waved him off. "Oh, just leave me alone. Go back home to your little girlfriend."

"Girlfriend?" Sasuke's head tilted slightly.

"Oh, you know. That skinny girl that dragged you in here, panting and gasping and looking totally freaked out."

"… Are you talking about Sakura?"

"That's the one," Shizune said, holding up a finger and giving him a sickly sweet smile.

Sasuke met the nurse's equally dark eyes. "She's not my girlfriend," he told her.

Her "all-knowing" smile was making him want to shudder. "Oh? Well, then. Do you wish she was?"

"Not particularly."

"She seems to like you."

He rolled his eyes. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, she dropped off flowers for you every day, hasn't she? Those yellow daffodils."

"That doesn't mean anything," Sasuke said. "That's just the type of person she is. She did it to be polite."

Her smile grew wilier. "But you kept them, anyway. All of them." She looked pointedly at the collection in Sasuke's hand of yellow daffodils in various states of life. Two-thirds were already wilted due to his inability to take care of plants, but it was true: Every single one he had received, he still continued to keep.

"I'm leaving, now," he said with a glare.

"Sasuke," the nurse laughed, "you're in denial."

He gave no further reply. Instead, he simply turned and strode as quickly as he could over to the automatic front doors of the hospital without making it obvious that he was running away from the nurse that had watched over him ever since he was eight years old. Shizune grinned, leaning against the wall beside the elevator, as she watched him rush away.

Sasuke was finally growing up. But should he actually fall in love with Sakura… Shizune sighed. She enjoyed teasing him about it, but if it became a reality, the situation would be dangerous for the both of them. Orochimaru had a looming prescence over Sasuke's life and always would—there was no real escape from him. Furthermore, Sasuke's agreement with the current vampire sovereign, that allowed him to remain "outside", only lasted until he turned eighteen years old. Sasuke now had a little less than two years to find the utmost happiness to last him the rest of his life until he would be forced to lose everything.

The fact he was running out of time was probably on Sasuke's mind everyday. It must be such a disappointing life to live, Shizune couldn't help but think. No wonder he was so cynical all the time.

The nurse sighed briefly before turning and heading back to work. It would be a sad and lonely journey, but Sasuke would have to find all the answers on his own. She wasn't in a position to help him anymore.

She would leave that open for Sakura to take over.


	15. frustration

[A/N] Hi. It's been a month since the last post... (; A ;) Please forgive me!

For those of you wondering, Shizune's ringtone last chapter is from "1000001 colors" by NataP, sung by F9. The specific line I used, in English, means: _Blaming __somebody __else, __acting __for __somebody __else; __over __and __over, __you __make __up __excuses__…_

Anyway, happy reading~ And seriously, I am so sorry for the long wait. (ToT) Homework and partying have been taking over quite a bit of my time... but hey, Xmas break is almost here! (for me, anyway.)

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter <strong>**from ****the ****Rain  
><strong>a vampire fic

15} frustration

.

.

_there is harmony in one's gentle heartbeat and unsteady breathing_

.

The evening he was released from the hospital, Uchiha Sasuke came home with his arms full of his fangirls' gifts and a deeply set frown on his lips.

He dropped the immense pile of expensive gifts onto the floor and kicked them over to the side, so they wouldn't be in the way, before carefully placing the bouquet of half-dead daffodils on an empty spot on the table. He then plopped himself on the couch and reclined his body over the soft cushions, stretching out his toes and resting his neck on the armrest. The burden of several recently made realizations weighed him down so much he had no remaining strength to lift his head.

He'd used the curse seal again. Sakura might have died if he hadn't, but—_at this rate…_

Really, he was running out of time. The curse seal burned on the back of his neck, as if reminding him once more, _over and over again_, that there was no escaping his fate.

But he'd like to prolong this tiny bit of happiness just a little longer.

That was impossible, though, wasn't it? He was already sixteen years old. His eighteenth birthday was approaching rapidly, and then the agreement he held with the vampire sovereign would finally come to claim him.

For the first time in a long time, Sasuke was actually having fun being alive. Being a vampire certainly cast an unwanted shadow in several areas of his life. His humanity was leaving him more and more every day, it seemed, though his heart was still beating and he was aging like the rest of them—like the other humans.

Time… why did time have to exist? He might've been much happier if he could just make everything stop right now and freeze.

But even if he wanted it more than anything, he didn't have that kind of power.

.

.

"_ne, Nii-chan, can you tell me what it means to be human?"_

.

Sakura felt a wave of uncertainty rush through her as she picked up the dish; the heat of its contents warmed her palms.

Should she go or not? No… there wasn't even a question. She had to. She couldn't let him think that she didn't care.

With another deep sigh, she mustered the little bits of her measly courage and set out the short distance of ten feet to her neighbor's apartment. But she paused before knocking the familiar door—_I'm nervous, but why? I shouldn't be so nervous! This is nothing!_—unable to to make the physical contact between her knuckle and the wooden door.

So she stood there for a long, long moment, her hand half raised.

And then the door flung open. She hastily brought her hand back to her side before he could see her embarrassing hesitation.

"Sakura," came the low-toned greeting. Sasuke's gaze was as unreadable and hazy as usual. "What are you doing here?"

"Just… um… er…" She looked away. "Welcome back!" She thrust the dish of her self-made _onigiri _towards him. "I thought you'd want something to eat… and um… just…"

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked. She could _hear _the smirk in his voice.

"I'm not!" she protested, and to prove the lie, she faced him and met his eyes.

The dark gaze seemed to be sparkling with amusement. "Is that so." There was that familiar smirk, a smirk she hadn't seen directed towards her for so long.

A rush of warmth spread through her. Sakura could feel her face involuntarily flush. "That's right, so… just… take this." She pushed the dish onto his chest, and he quickly caught it before it could fall; then she immediately turned on her heel to flee.

But he caught her wrist and pulled her back, and before she could comprehend what had just happened, she was already pressed against his warm chest. "You don't think you can just run away like that, do you?"

"Sasuke-kun—"

"I'm not letting you escape tonight."

"Eh… _eh_?"

He just gave her another smirk before he pulled her inside and shut the door.

.

.

_eh?_

.

She was nervous._ Incredibly _nervous—really, there was no reason she should be feeling this way. But Shizune's words replayed like a broken tape in her mind, making her flush with embarrassment.

.

.

_please don't let her words be true_

.

"Onigiri with katsuobushi, huh?"

Sakura fidgeted with her hands on her lap. "Well, you said you liked that…" she muttered.

"I know I did. I'm a little surprised you remembered, though," Sasuke said, chuckling lightly. "That was weeks ago, after all. At the grocery store. Our first date, hm?"

"What I remember the most clearly was the fact that it _wasn't_ a date. And anyway, I'm proud to say I have a good memory."

There was that smirk again. "You used it for a good purpose, this time."

She couldn't smother a small smile of her own. "…Idiot."

"That would be you, actually," Sasuke retorted as he stood up, taking the plastic plate with him as he walked over to the sink.

Sakura watched with wary green eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You're coming here alone, you know?" he said, as he turned the tap.

"…You're not trying to say that you'll do something to me, are you?"

He scrubbed the dish with the soapy sponge. "Maybe I am."

"This isn't a shoujo manga, Sasuke-kun."

"All the more reason it's dangerous for you to be here. Reality can scar, unlike a romance story. But I'm not asking you to leave."

"Then what are you trying to say?"

He wiped turned off the tap and wiped the dish dry with a paper towel before giving his reply as he walked back over. "That I hope you'll make more _onigiri _for me again some time. They were delicious."

She blinked a few times, shocked. Then, quietly, "…Thank you."

.

.

_thank you for protecting me_

.

That night, Sakura had no nightmares.

.

.

_because of… him?_

.

And soon enough, school began once more.

_Too soon, _Sakura thought as she trudged the weary route towards the school, a fresh-looking Uchiha Sasuke a few steps behind her. She honestly hated how perfect he always looked, especially now; they had both stayed up late and yet he had no dark circles or seemed exhausted like Sakura did. He'd asked her to lend him her finished homework so he could copy it, but she had refused, and in the end, she'd helped him finish his—plus, he hadn't done any of his homework over the break, leaving Sakura with an unwilling vampire to basically do his work for him, and hence she'd only gotten about three hours of sleep last night.

This was not going to be a happy day.

"You're slowing down," he said.

"I am aware."

He smirked. "How lazy of you."

"I'm _tired_," she replied, her patience already teetering on its limit.

"So now you're giving me excuses?"

"This is your fault, you know."

"That's true. But you agreed to help me."

"You _made_ me."

"It was a mutual decision, I'd say."

Sakura just rolled her eyes. _This guy is so annoying!_ "Look—_guh_!"

"SAKURA-CHAAAAAAAAN! Gooooood morning!"

"…Naruto." Sakura failed in her attempt to escape the crook of his arm, which held her neck tightly. "Good morning."

"'Morning, again! You too, bastard Sasuke!"

"Get your hands off her," Sasuke said casually in response.

Naruto just grinned. "Jealous, are you?"

"Just don't touch what belongs to me."

"Man, I'm feeling some déjà vu! Has this happened before?" the blond laughed, and he loosened his hold.

Sakura took the chance to escape the blond's grip. Ever since the party for Sasuke's birthday, Naruto had been seemingly more attached to her—and more touchy-feely. Frankly, it was annoying and a little bit creepy, but somehow flattering. Until she had met Sasuke, she'd gone by almost completely unnoticed at school; now people were shooting glances at her left and right… and certain people even considered her a "friend".

"C'mon, let's head to school before the bell rings." Naruto took the lead. The other two were in no mood to return to the classroom, but time was pressing them onward, so they followed him languidly.

But almost as immediately, they were stopped by an overly loud comment.

"Oh, so the school's Prince, his Joker, and the Pauper are walking to school together?"

Sakura whipped her head to the side and gave the girl who had spoken a seething glare. She had bright red hair and glasses—ah, it was Karin, wasn't it?

The one that Sasuke had been drinking that day so many weeks ago—

_Are you… a vampire?_

_I guess you found out my secret._

—during that first encounter with Sasuke as a vampire. (Or, what she considered the Start of Everything. But if she told Sasuke that, she'd never hear the end of his teasing.)

Karin returned Sakura's glare with a condescending, shallow little smile. "How sad," Karin said, "that the Prince of this school let himself fall down to the level of somebody like _you_."

Sakura gave no reply, just turned her eyes to the floor.

"Karin." The vampire's expression held no traces of emotion, but the words were tense. "Don't talk about things you don't understand anything about."

"Then stop trying to act like a gentleman, Sasuke," Karin retorted. "Why would you let yourself get attached to… this _thing_? She's a freak. You remember how she flipped out that first day, at the start of school, just because some guy touched her?"

"Don't talk about Sakura-chan that way!" Naruto yelled.

"What way? Because of _Sakura-chan_," Karin continued, "Sasuke got badly injured, you know?"

"The bastard got sent to the hospital on his own! I know, he told me so."

"You know what, Uzumaki? You're a fucking idiot, and you know as well as everybody does that if Sakura hadn't been there, Sasuke would've been fine. If she hadn't made him walk her home, then they wouldn't have gotten into that gang fight, and Sasuke wouldn't have gotten hurt. It's called logic. Grab a book and learn something for once, huh? You retard."

"You don't know anything! It was Sasuke's own decision to walk her home, and his own decision to protect her!"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Naruto," Sasuke said, and pushed the blond aside. "And Karin." He met her eyes. "The shit that I get into is none of your business."

She pushed her glasses up higher and shook her head. "You're such a retard, Sasuke. That scar on your chest is never going to disappear, you know?"

Sakura raised her head, then, to give the boy beside her a long, deep look. "You got a scar?" she asked her consort quietly.

He turned to face her, and opened his mouth to give a reply—

But the homeroom bell rang then, and Sakura was left without an answer.

.

.

_a scar: a memory that haunts them both_

.

She cast glances toward him every so often as class slowly meandered its way on, wondering if _maybe,_ just _maybe_, they might make eye contact and she could find out some kind of an answer from his dark gaze.

But he remained in his sleeping position, not looking at her, with his face turned to the other side.

So he had a scar… How bad was it? From what? Tayuya piercing through his chest? And how did Karin know about it, when she didn't?

_She_ was his consort, right?

_She_ was the one he should be telling these things to, right?

_But then again_, she thought with a sigh, _maybe I'm just getting too ahead of myself._

And she didn't have the privilege to do that.

.

.

_but was that necessarily a bad thing?_

.

"Sa. Ku. Ra. Chaaan!" the blond greeted cheerfully as he skipped over to her desk and slapped down his palms on her desk right as the last bell for school rang.

Sakura didn't even bother to look up at him and instead continued packing her bag. "…Naruto. What are you doing?"

"I was just wondering if you had time today," he said. Even though she wasn't looking, she could tell he was grinning widely.

"I have to go to my part-time job, actually," Sakura replied, feeling her Naruto-is-definitely-up-to-something radar go off in the back of her mind.

"At what time?" he asked.

"It starts at five…?"

"Do you do any after school clubs?"

"Um." She blinked a few times. "No."

"Cram school?"

"I don't." She paused packing and looked up at him once more with suspicious green eyes. "But why are you asking me these personal questions?"

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Naruto told her nonchalantly.

"Naruto—"

"No, really. You're about to find out." He smiled at her. "I'm not going to hurt you or make you do anything. Well, actually, that might be a lie. In any case, I'm just gonna kidnap you for a bit." He bent down and grabbed her bag, and zipped it shut before pulling it onto his shoulder. "C'mon, let's go!"

"What?"

"Like I said, I'm kidnapping you." Naruto grinned. He grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. "Let the bastard walk home alone for once," he added, and gave a pointed glance towars the boy surrounded by his adoring fangirls. Sakura looked over at Sasuke, but he wasn't looking at her—in fact, he was trying to avoid one of the girls from unbuttoning his uniform shirt right then.

So Sakura let Naruto drag her away.

The hyperactive blond pulled her out behind him, out the classroom, down the stairs, and towards the school gates, her backpack still slung over his shoulder and her hand in his. Somehow, this reminded her of a scene from a romance movie she had once seen as a child, with her mother; the girl and her love interest had been running away from another man who was interested in the heroine.

But this moment right now was nothing like that movie's situation. She wasn't interested in him. And he didn't like her that way, either. Right? They were just two friends going out somewhere together.

The way he held her hand in his was making it hard for her to believe that, though.

.

.

_complications, hm?_

.

"So here we are," Naruto said, and finally dropped her hand.

Sakura looked around. "I've never been here before. Or heard of this place. How do you know about it?"

"It's a secret place," he said, and took a seat. "I found it years ago one time when I tried to run away from home. It's my… solace. I come here when I'm upset."

"You normally climb up the side of a ghost house and sit on a roof like this?"

"Well," Naruto said, shrugging. "Pretty much."

Sakura took a seat beside him. The roof of this house was small and flat, with a slightly raised center that they sat on. It was an abandoned three-story house, and technically they were trespassing, but it was peaceful here—the hustle and bustle of the city remained below them and they could lie down and gaze at the sky.

"It's nice here," Sakura whispered.

"I know." Naruto sounded smug. "That's why I brought you here."

"…What?"

"You seemed kind of nervous this morning. I thought you might be stressed out about something."

Sakura blinked a few times. "Ah."

"I bet it has something to do with the bastard. Am I right?"

"...You could say that." Well, it had everything to do with Sasuke. Lately it always did.

His blue eyes flickered in her direction. "He's really stupid when it come to people. I'll just say that now. I mean, he's a genius when it comes to things like tests and learning new stuff, and he's pretty athletic too, but when it comes to understanding people, he kind of sucks hardcore."

Sakura sighed. "I'm not too good at it, either."

"Yeah, but you're different. Yours is like, self-inflicted."

She gave the blond a sharp glance. "What?" she questioned him.

"I mean you purposefully keep a distance." Naruto smiled at her. "But Sasuke? That idiot was like that since the day I met him. He always looked kind of scared, you know?"

"Not really?" Sakura replied. "I never thought once that he looked scared."

"Really? I've always felt that he's afraid of people."

"…But he isn't really now."

"No, he is. He just hides it better."

Sakura looked at the boy beside her with a soft expression. "You know him really well, don't you?"

Naruto grinned. "We've been together since we were twelve. We got into a fist fight at the entrance ceremony the first day of middle school, and since then we've had a weird sort of bond. I'd be upset if I didn't know the antisocial dumbass after being stuck with him for more than three years."

"I'm a little… jealous." And she was, truly, so much she almost wanted to scream.

"I know." Naruto looked away and directed his ocean-blue eyes towards the darkening sky. "And I'm sorry about that."

"Naruto, I don't—"

"Whoa, it's already getting dark! Let's get you to your job. I'll help you down." He shot up and walked away before she could deny anything.

Ahh. He knew her little secret, didn't he?

But then, didn't everybody?

She exhaled slowly for a few seconds, calming herself, before she followed after the blond and jumped down to the concrete, with his strong hands guiding her safely down.

For sure, a complicated situation was going to grab hold of her soon enough—Sakura could just feel it in her gut as Naruto's hands released her waist. It urged her to take caution and step away from it all, but right then, with the beautiful sunset and their breathless sprint towards the Leafy Diner, she decided she didn't care and pushed the fatalistic thoughts into the back of her mind.


	16. noticing

[A/N] Did you all have a Merry Christmas? Mine was awesome. I'm down in Florida currently and I've had Rita's practically everyday XD The beaches here are also super lovely... thing is, it's raining right now :'( So I decided, hey, I'll finish this chap and post it! Hope you enjoy. Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

16} noticing

.

.

_until when will things remain this way?_

.

"No, he really doesn't care."

"But I still—"

"Don't feel bad about it, Sakura-chan. He doesn't care about the scar. I swear."

"But… _I _do."

.

.

_please_

.

_Knock knock._

The vampire looked up from his place on the couch. "Aa," he said, loudly enough to be heard, and the door opened slowly.

Sakura peeked in shyly. "I'm here."

He smirked. "Come here," he said, and like a meek puppy, she approached him.

Something felt off.

"Scared?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly. They'd done this enough that she ought to be used to this now. She would come over, he'd drink her blood, and then she'd be off to do as she pleased and both of them acted like nothing happened.

"No, that's not it…" she trailed off, green eyes growing distant.

Sasuke watched her warily. "Sakura?"

The emerald gaze refocused suddenly and were directed at his stomach. "Let me see the scar."

This was unexpected. "Why?" he asked her.

"Just let me see it." She, quite literally, grabbed the hem of his shirt and attempted to tug the dark blue cloth up, but Sasuke grabbed her small wrists and stopped her.

"This isn't something you want to see—" he began to warn her.

"Shut up and let me see it." She wasn't looking at him, just as his hands over hers. There was a blazing fire in her eyes and he knew that this wasn't something to argue over; she _needed _to see this.

So he let her wrists go.

She tugged his shirt up, and let out a soft breath. "I'm sorry," came the tiny whisper.

His wound had been healed well, with the help of Tsunade's genius doctoring and Shizune's more helpful knowledge of vampires, but there had been no way to escape getting an ugly scar. It was like a stain on his milky skin, a blotch of darkness on the plane of his stomach. It would fade in time, but it would never truly be gone.

"It's something to be proud of," Sasuke said, looking away. The girl's expression had no tears or even shock, simply a melancholic acceptance.

She was blaming herself.

"Shut up," she whispered, and suddenly he realized that she was shaking.

He took one of her hands in his, slowly and gently. She stared at their joined fingers for a moment, and then looked up to meet his eyes.

"I'm fine," he said simply.

"I know."

Oh, really? "Then why do you look like you want to die?" he asked her lightly. Really, she was such an entertaining human.

"Because I did this to you," she said.

He couldn't stop a small, amused smirk from curving his lips. "So you feel guilty now, do you?"

She bit her lip, but said nothing in reply.

"I have never met a human as stupid as you," was his only comment, and he released her hand and rose to his feet. He put his left hand on the side of her neck and the other on her shoulder. "Like I said, it's something to be proud of," he whispered, his breath hot against her skin. With that, he sank his fangs into her throat.

And he wondered… Was it wrong that he wanted more than this simple moment?

.

.

_but it felt so right_

.

_Stay away from Sasuke-kun!_

_Bitch._

_Why the hell do you get to be with him?_

_Go away!_

Sakura was used to the death threats in passing girls' eyes, as well as the insulting notes that were always present in her shoe locker, but they were becoming worse as of late.

Becayse some of the girls were noticing how Sasuke would spontaneously grab her and pull her away—

"Sasuke-kun!" she protested, as he dragged her into an empty hallway.

"Shut up or they'll hear us," he whispered, and pushed her against the wall.

She turned her head away, but it only made her throat more accessible. He pressed his hot lips against it, and gave her skin an experimental lick.

She shivered. "Stop! Somebody will catch us—_Nn_…!" She closed her eyes from the pain of his sharp entrance.

Of course, the fangirls were wrong. Sort of. It wasn't for the dirty reason they assumed—which usually involved heavy kissing and some bodily exploration—but only to satisfy a different kind of thirst for the young vampire. Apparently he was needing her blood a lot more frequently. Sakura knew he seemed more agitated lately, but with those upset feelings came some kind of need to be all too bold and take her blood during school hours. It was a dangerous risk to take, and he was growing increasingly careless.

_What the hell is up with him? _she wondered, leaning her head against the hallway's dark wall, and winced as he bit in deeper.

"SAKURA-CHAAAAAAAAAN! WHERE ARE YOUUUU?"

Sasuke immediately pulled out and began licking her throat to take off the excess blood and help it heal with his saliva. What he had said back at the beach a while ago—that his saliva had healing properties—had been surprisingly true; even now, Sakura could feel the gentle patching up of the bite marks. Still, with amazing dexterity, she whipped out a bandaid from her skirt pocket. Sasuke grabbed it and quickly pulled it out of its plastic wrapping to stick it over the wounded area.

Sometimes they worked together quite well.

Just as Sasuke's fingers left her neck, Naruto peeped into the hallway and his grin turned into an O. "Oh," he said simply. "Didn't expect to see you two in a…um… interesting position like this. Anyway, lunch break's almost over, so uh…"

Sakura suddenly noticed her extremely close proximity with her consort. Woops. "Thanks," Sakura told the blond, and stepped away first.

Sasuke grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. "Get lost, idiot," he called.

"Hey, I am not an idiot! I actually got an 82 on my math test today!"

Sakura and Sasuke just sighed.

"Well, it's good for me," Naruto huffed. "Sorry that I don't get 99's and 100's like you guys."

"Just leave," Sasuke said. The words were tense.

Sakura pried his arms away as the bell for class rang. "Class is starting. I don't want to be late."

He looked at her then. Black met green, and for a moment, Sakura thought she could almost see a glimmer of—

Sasuke walked away, making sure to hit Naruto's shoulder with his slightly taller one when he passed the other boy, and then he was gone.

"What got shoved up his ass?" Naruto wondered aloud. "Doesn't he seem really, I dunno, agitated lately?"

"Hmm," Sakura gave a noncommittal grunt. "Let's get to class."

.

.

_hmm?_

.

Sasuke couldn't pinpoint when exactly he started noticing, but once he realized it, it was already far too late to prevent.

His best friend and his bride were becoming very, very close recently.

After summer break's end and school's resuming, the two had somehow been "hanging out" every day after school when Sakura didn't have her job: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday—Sasuke only knew this information because he walked her back home those days, not because of any other reason, surely—but with the progression of this unexpected relationship between his consort and closest friend, Sasuke could almost say he didn't even need to do _that _for her anymore.

Naruto was there, and proven by that incident on the beach, he was a competent protector. He cared for Sakura, Sasuke knew that. The way those blue eyes followed after her in the hallway between classes… the way he grinned whenever their eyes unexpectedly met… the way his tanned rough hands seemed to reach for her at every chance… All too clearly, there was some kind of attraction present.

What was so great about her anyway? Sasuke simmered over this as he conjured up a mental image of his partner. Haruno Sakura was a skinny little thing, with inerasable dark circles and a near constant frown. Not to mention how she hardly ever smiled and she was a bit on the short side, too. She had thin curves and bony hands and stick arms.

And she belonged to _him. _And Naruto should know that.

But—that wasn't the point. So yeah, sure, Naruto would make a good person to be with when there was a chance of being attacked; the blond had been in several athletic clubs during middle school (mostly for the sake of competing with Sasuke himself, really), but, of course, the idiot didn't know about the existence of vampires—which was why Sasuke convinced himself he still needed to watch over Sakura. While Sasuke couldn't deny that Naruto would probably be able to handle one on his own, should any more arrive in a group like a few weeks ago with Tayuya and her 'friends'… well, simply put, they'd both be murdered.

And Sasuke didn't need any more blood on his hands.

.

.

_no more, please_

.

Naruto glanced at her. The girl was lost in thought again. Since this morning, she'd been looking off into some unseen distance. "Have you been doing something to him?"

"To who?" Sakura asked, and began twirling her hair around her finger—a sign that she was nervous.

"Sasuke."

"…Huh?"

"You know, I feel like he's getting a lot healthier lately," Naruto said, looking up at the puffy clouds. "Like, he's not as super pale and he doesn't sleep all the time in class anymore. Sometimes he actually pays attention. So, I was wondering if you had anything to do with it."

She blinked a few times out of surprise. "Eh? Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, he's always been sort of talented with athletics and stuff, but he'd stay inside most of the time and he didn't like to do much unless there was some benefit in it. Like, he was super cynical, you know? And he still is, but it's like, it's different. He's more open about things now and he smiles more and he likes to make fun of you. He used to only do that to me, you know? And he's not a player anymore and doesn't bring girls home like he used to, or any of that shady stuff. I think you've reached him."

_If only you knew,_ Sakura thought, and fought the urge to just shake her head. "It's not me," she said, smiling. "It's what I can give him."

"What? No way."

"He doesn't think of me that way, I'm sure."

"The bastard."

"Yeah, he's a total bastard."

"I'm kind of sure he does like you, though."

"No." _I'm a tool, after all. _"I know he doesn't."

"But still, you…" There was a long pause. He didn't continue.

"What?" Sakura turned her head to look at him.

"Nothing."

She lifted herself up on her elbow. "What?" she repeated, leaning a bit closer.

Konoha's No.1 Most Hyperactive just lied there, grinning up at her and the clouds above. "Today's Wednesday, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"It's almost five?"

Sakura gasped. "Oh."

"Yeah. Let's run?"

"Let's run."

.

.

_looking back, I really should've realized it then_

.

Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sakura always seemed a little perkier and focused when the topic of Sasuke came up in their conversations.

And, frankly, he was pretty damn jealous.

.

.

_alas, I'm just that big of an idiot_

.

He walked her home from work as usual, but conversation was limited and tense.

"Sasuke-kun."

"What?"

"…Never mind."

There was something very wrong, but Sakura couldn't quite place a finger on the reason. What could this boy be so upset about? Had she done something to him? Or… It could be a part of his life that she knew nothing about. Maybe something about that vampire society. Or Orochimaru. Or maybe it was Tayuya again?

But unless he would say something and explain, she couldn't know.

Why was he always such a damn enigma?

.

.

_but the real reason was so unexpected_

.

"Sasuke-kun—Nn… Don't you think this is… dangerous?"

He didn't answer her.

"Sasuke-kun."

No reply, just a nudge of his lips against her throat.

"You're pissed about something, and you're taking it out on me, aren't you?"

He suddenly pulled away to look at her. "Trying to be a therapist, now?"

"That's not it." Sakura met his eyes. "But I can never understand you, Sasuke-kun. You don't communicate with me."

"Why should I have to communicate with you? What reason is there that you should know every shitty detail about me?" His dark gaze was blazing with anger and a slight tint of red.

"Not every—just… I'm worried sometimes." Sakura looked down at Sasuke's chest to avoid his frightening eyes; somehow her hands had found their way onto his shirt and were clinging to it. She didn't move them.

"And you expect me to care?"

Oh. So that was it. Sakura let out a little sigh. "Fine. Take the damn blood."

She could see from the corner of her vision that his eyes narrowed slightly. "Sakura—"

"I don't care anymore," she told him quietly. "I won't ask. It's none of my business, right? But…" She turned to look at him again. "That doesn't mean I'll stop wondering. Or trying to find out about you."

His expression softened a little bit. "You're one fucked up person," he said softly as he leaned in towards her throat.

"So are you," she retorted.

She caught a glimpse of a smirk before the distinct pain of his fangs' piercing clouded her mind and she fell to the floor.

.

.

_hey—I wonder_

.

"Sakura?"

.

.

_if you can you hear my heart beating?_

.

Wasn't that Sasuke-kun's voice in her ear?

Hmm.

.

.

_because somehow, I feel like it's faster than usual_

.

"_Sakura. _Come on, get up. _Get up!_"

.

.

_isn't it so weird?_

.

"Stop fainting on me, dammit!"

.

.

_but I don't understand it either_

.

When she came to, she was in the nurse's office.

"Nurse…" she called out weakly, sitting up. "What happened?"

The friendly woman opened the curtain to her bed. "Anemia. Your boyfriend told me you're on your period, so it's understandable. Don't worry about it too much. You probably just have a really heavy flow this time. Most girls still don't have a regular schedule."

Sakura sat there for a moment, processing the words. And then: "That retard!" she screeched. How dare he say something so private? And how the_ hell _had he known she was on her period?

"I see you two have gotten very close," the nurse said with a mischievous smile. "To think you two used to be so awkward around each other! I remember when you fainted that first time and he brought you home… Oh, young love."

"We're not dating," Sakura stated.

"Oh, but you will."

"No, we don't like each other that way—"

The nurse waved it off. "Sure, sure. Be in denial forever, sweetie, but I saw the way he carried you in here like you were the most precious thing in the world to him."

"He carried me like a sack over his shoulder…?" Clearly, this nurse had strange perceptions about romance. No wonder she was single.

The nurse laughed. "If he carried you princess style, everybody would've been able to see your underwear, you know. Since your skirt hangs down and your bottom's exposed to the world and all."

Well, Sakura hadn't thought of that. But still. "Can I stay here until school's over or do I have to go back to class?" she asked, changing the subject none too subtly.

"You can stay here as long as you like. I'm going to leave for a little while now, though. I missed lunch and I'm _starving_."

How in the world had this woman become certified to be a nurse? "Okay…?"

"Stay put and I'll be back in… well, I don't know. Sleep tight, sweetie!"

Sakura just watched with muted disapproval as the nurse grabbed her purse, left her white coat on the back of her chair, and closed the door behind her.

With a sigh, Sakura lied back down on the cot and turned on her side, pulling the thin blanket over her body again. If somebody came in, they'd probably assume she was asleep. She was exhausted, too, so she might as well—

She almost jumped when the door opened again. It was probably the nurse again, forgetting her keys or something. But… Ahh, no. This presence was totally different.

"Sakura."

She froze. Why did he always come at her weakest moments?

"Are you asleep?"

_Yes. Because I don't feel like talking to you right now._

"I guess you are…" He exhaled and she could feel him press his hand on the edge of her cot. "You know, I'm sorry."

Sakura's eyes widened. _Huh?_

"I was… jealous."

This was so much of a mind-fuck that Sakura pinched herself to prove that this wasn't a dream. It was like Sasuke had gained some new split personality and this was his innocent, nice side. Or something?

Whatever it was, it was shocking and a bit creepy.

"I don't really understand it myself. I don't know why I get so angry when I see you getting along with other people when I should be happy about that. You're… getting better."

He paused. For a very, very long moment.

"But I was just… I'm a possessive person. I hate sharing. I've always been like this, and the way Orochimaru and the rest of the society treated me didn't help me with that… trait… so it just sort of grew and I never realized that it's… bad. I'm something like a spoiled prince back there, and when I left a few years ago I never really dropped that feeling of position. It's gotten better thanks to Naruto, though. And Kakashi. But you don't know who Kakashi is."

_No, I have no idea who that is._

"So… I'm sorry. I'm really jealous. I was raised to think of humans as… things. Not… people with minds of their owns and feelings."

_You're a vampire. It makes sense._

"So I keep thinking of you as something that belongs to me…"

_But I think of you the same way, you know?_

"So…"

"Ne, Sasuke-kun," she interrupted him.

There was a surprised sort of silence at Sakura's back. She rolled over and sat up, facing him. "I don't mind your company, so… will you continue to go grocery shopping with me?"

The vampire took a step back and his shocked expression was absolutely _priceless_—then it rapidly morphed back into his usual blank face. "If that's… if that's what you want," he said, blinking a few times as he said so.

She smiled. "That's all I need."

_For now, anyway._


	17. rumor

[A/N] First post of the new year! Woop! Blessings to you all for 2012 :) Let's hope the world doesn't end this December 21st because that's my daddy's birthday…

Well, anyway, happy reading~ ;) It didn't take a month this time, XD

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

17} rumor

.

.

_let me hear your voice_

.

"More strawberries?" Sasuke smirked as he eyed the red fruit in the basket.

"Shut _up_."

"You say that a lot to me lately."

Sakura sorted through a pile of tomatoes, trying to find the ripest ones. "You've given me plenty reason to say it," she said, plopping a few choice picks into a plastic bag.

"Aa, is that so?" He took the bag and held it for her.

She tied it closed. "Yes. Because you're annoying."

"As are you, on many occasions."

She took the bag and handed it to the nearest worker to be weighed. "And you're not very honest."

"Well, neither are you." They watched the man press a few buttons on the scale and place a sticker onto the plastic bag before handing it back to Sakura with a little smile.

"Thank you," she told him sweetly, before turning back to the pale boy at her side. "Plus your personality seems to change every five seconds," she added, as she put the tomatoes into the basket hanging on Sasuke's arm.

"Yeah? I'm not the only one."

Sakura met his eyes. "And sometimes you act like you don't care about anything, but then you suddenly…" Her expression contorted. "I don't know."

"Hm?" He bent a little closer. "I suddenly what?"

"Act… nice."

"Nice?" He lifted an eyebrow quizzically.

She flushed and turned away. "You act friendly sometimes but you're always so distant at the same time. I don't understand you at all. I don't know if your real personality is this helpful sort of person right now, who's lugging my groceries for me, or if it's the colder one where you told me you don't want to bother telling me the shitty details of your life or whatever…"

Sasuke pressed a warm hand on her shoulder, gently pulling her back. Sakura could fell his breath against her right ear as he asked, "What answer do you want to hear me say, Sakura?"

"The truth," she answered him simply.

"I don't think I have one for you, then," he said, just as casually.

She exhaled lightly. "Well, fuck you."

"Your language is getting coarser." He released his hand from her shoulder. "Spending too much time with Naruto, I see."

"I don't spend that much time with him," she protested.

A slim, dark eyebrow arched. "Every day after school isn't a lot, huh?"

"I go to your apartment every night. Isn't it the same thing?"

"Yeah. Which is exactly why I don't like it."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm supposed to be the number one priority in your life, Haruno Sakura-san."

Sakura suddenly froze to a stop. When he turned around to look at her, he saw her expression was furious.

"What the hell?" she asked, the emerald eyes narrowed.

"You agreed to be my consort," he answered with a slight shrug.

"I know, but—"

"But, what? You agreed. I asked you if you were sure, and you said yes." Sasuke turned back around and started walking. "So I bit you, we did the exchange, and now you belong to me."

She followed after him—not because she wanted to, but because she didn't want to make a scene. That, and her body just automatically reached for him.

Damn the soul exchange! Its power still controlled her, and it was even stronger as time was this strange need to _touch _his slightly cool, pale skin with her own curious fingers, and to make life even more unbearable, there was this raging, carnal desire for him to just _oh please_ take her and _thrust_ his teeth into the flesh of her neck—

"Why was I so stupid?" She slapped herself on the forehead as a personal scolding, trying to rid herself of blush-inducing images and unnatural, primitive urges.

"I wonder that too, sometimes." She couldn't see his smirk, being behind him, but she could hear it in his words.

"You're such a bastard."

There was only the tiniest pause before he whispered soft words: "I know."

.

.

_well… of course you do_

.

_Du-ririririring!_

"Ugh…" Naruto searched blindly for his ringing cellphone with his hand, his face still pressed into his beloved frog pillow. "Who the hell is calling me on a Saturday morning?"

_Du-ririririring!_

His hand made contact. He grabbed it, slowly rolled onto his back, and glanced at the caller ID.

"Yamanaka Ino?" He stared at it for a moment, debating: Pick up and listen to her screechy voice yell sharp nonsense into his ear? Or… ignore it, send her to voice mail, and _sleep _like he totally deserved to?

The second option was awfully tempting.

_Du-ririririring!_

But, unfortunately, if Ino was calling him of all people, it was probably important. Since she never really called him. Or him her.

Oh, whatever.

He flipped the phone open and held it to his ear, a little reluctantly. "Hello?"

"Naruto, I want to talk to you," Ino greeted him, her voice full of unusual seriousness and urgency.

Still not quite awake, and with eyes still closed, he asked, "And why does Yamanaka Ino want to talk to me?"

He heard her sigh. "It's about Sakura," she said.

His eyes shot open. "…What about Sakura-chan?"

"Just… you know how she's kind of distant?"

"…Yeah?"

"And she sort of gives off this vibe of hating men?"

"…Yeah?"

"And you keep bothering her all the time completely oblivious to her feelings?"

"…Huh?"

"Just hear me out, Naruto," Ino said, her tone agitated and her words quickening in pace. "I think it's good that you're trying to be friends with her, but I think you should be a bit more informed."

"Informed?" He blinked a few times up at the ceiling, confused. "About what?"

She sighed again. "Her parents. Or lack of them, in this case."

.

.

_sorry, Sakura_

.

There was a strange, deep satisfaction Sakura couldn't help but experience when her consort dipped his sharp teeth into her throat and stole her blood. Even now, as she sat on the blue couch with Konoha's No. 1 Womanizer sucking her crimson essence on a weekend midnight, she felt so content and fulfilled, as the sounds of his quiet swallowing filled her ears.

It was a disgusting practice, thinking about it. Really, it was just some teenage boy impaling her skin with his _teeth _of all things, and it did hurt… but it was a pleasure all the same.

Because deep down, Sakura enjoyed the feeling of Sasuke depending on her.

.

.

_but I couldn't dare ask for more_

.

Naruto lied on his bed quietly, staring up at the ceiling.

Haruno Sakura, huh?

Naruto closed his eyes.

Her mother? Gone forever. Dead. There were rumors that she killed herself out of depression.

Her father? Location unknown. An adulterer. Ran away with some woman when Sakura was in middle school.

Siblings? None. Sakura was an only child.

Ino only knew specific details up until about sixth grade, when Sakura's family moved away. After her father had left them and ran away with his secret lover, Sakura and her mother had moved to the other side of town; Ino hadn't been able to keep in touch with Sakura and had almost forgotten the pink-haired girl's existence until she had suddenly reappeared in her high school, here at Konoha.

Well, Sakura's story wasn't all that different from his own. Naruto was an orphan, too…

He rolled over onto his side. Maybe he would tell Sakura his full story some day, about the dark connection he had with the Hyuuga family. Why Neji used to hate him. Why he couldn't understand how Hinata tolerated his existence. Why Hinata's father was so adamant about keeping peace with him.

But that was for a later time.

.

.

_but time can pass without you even realizing_

.

"Ne, Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kuuuun!"

"Come walk with me!"

The usual overly touchy girls approached rapidly, locking onto their target with their manicured nails and glossy lips. Naruto and Sakura watched with mild amusement as Sasuke was taken away by his unofficial fanclub. This tended to be the case every school morning, and today was no exception.

"They're crazy," Naruto commented, as he stood peacefully at the side, surveying the scene.

"Mm," Sakura hummed in agreement.

He grinned. "But I wouldn't mind being popular either, though. It'd be nice to have girls falling for me left and right like the bastard does."

_Hinata's in love with you, you know. Though I can't even begin to fathom the reason why. _Sakura resisted the urge to shake her head."If you try hard enough, you'll find someone for you."

"Hmmm. Have you found that person already, Sakura-chan?"

She froze suddenly, all movement suspended.

He turned his head and watched her, the blue gaze steady.

Her lips twitched, just barely.

His cerulean eyes were staring.

She bit her lip and looked away.

"I was joking," he said hastily, to break the silence, and he thumped her back playfully. "You're so serious all the time, Sakura-chan! But that's what I like about you, I guess." He gave her a little smile, and she visibly relaxed. "Let's get to class, huh? And get away from these crazy people. Man, they're like ants! Look at that!"

Sakura allowed herself a small chuckle. It was true; Sasuke's followers were in a clump around him and then in a messy line behind, as if he were a piece of chicken that needed to be ravaged.

Well, his hair kind of fit the role.

She smothered a fit of laughter that would surely include some embarrassing snorting if she hadn't repressed it, and followed Naruto into the school building.

.

.

_but to be honest, he was so much more than that_

.

When he was pulled far away enough that he couldn't see his best friend or human bride anymore, the girls immediately began a rapid interrogation, shooting off questions so fast he could hardly process them individually.

But they were all asking the same thing:

"Hey, what do you like about that Haruno girl, Sasuke-kun?"

"Yeah! Why is she the one you like? She's so selfish."

"She's a total bitch, you know. But I bet you didn't. You need to be more careful, Sasuke-kun! You're so nice that you'd get tricked a thousand times over."

"What I hate is that she thinks she's sooo smart. Getting good grades doesn't mean aaaanything. I mean, like, if I really tried, I could totally get 100's."

"But seriously, what's it about her? She's like, not even that pretty or anything. Do you like smart girls? Or are you just, like, into tsundere kind of girls?"

"Just tell us! What do you like?"

"Yeah, what part of her do you like?"

Like hell if he knew. He didn't really know an answer to that; he didn't like her that way, anyway… but pretending to be infatuated with the human girl was necessary to give an excuse to these girls why he didn't take them home with him anymore. So, Sasuke shrugged. "Her… hair?" he carelessly said the first thing that came to mind. Well, he did like her hair—it made it easy to pick her out of a crowd if he needed her blood.

The girls gave each other looks. There was something strange about the message they were giving each other with their eyes, but he ignored it. It wasn't any of his business.

But still, there was a strange, unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't quite explain.

His eyes narrowed.

…The sense of fear?

.

.

_and the rumors spread like wildfire_

.

"Sakura, you okay? I heard you fainted a few days ago."

Sakura quickly shut her shoe locker before her friend could see the overflowing pile of folded stationary sitting on top of her shoes. "I'm fine, Ino," she muttered.

The blonde gave Sakura a look of disbelief. "Uh-huh. Sure. But hey, keep on your toes. Ami and her fellow groupies heard Sasuke-kun walked you home."

Sakura's fingers tensed. "Shit."

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty jealous too, to be honest." Ino gave a little shrug. "But it's fair game. I won't resort to petty or backhanded tricks with you to get him… but that doesn't mean the other girls won't." She gave Sakura a little pat on the cheek. "Be careful now, hm?"

Sakura watched silently until her childhood friend's long ponytail disappeared around the corner, pondering for a moment, before she turned back to her shoe locker and reopened it. Sasuke's devoted followers were certainly getting rowdier and harsher. More and more threatening notes were showing up, many of them promises to destroy her… Sakura grabbed a handful of them and marched over to the trashcan.

They were nothing.

_Nothing._

But… she couldn't deny that she felt afraid, deep down inside.

"Ohh, what are these?" asked a nasally voice at her right shoulder just as she dumped them in. "Love letters?"

She glanced up hesitantly to meet warm cerulean eyes. "They're nothing," she answered too quickly. "Did you change your shoes already?" His locker was on the other side of the room, but Naruto was always quick about everything.

Naruto peered closer. "Hmm? Wait—Sakura-chan, these are death threats!" He grabbed one and brought it close enough to read. "_Stay away from Sasuke-kun or we'll make you regret it, just you wait. We know your weakness_...?What the hell? Who wrote this?"

"I don't know." She didn't. She didn't want to know, either.

"I'll get who ever the bitch was and pummel her face in good," Naruto seethed, crushing the note in his fist. "I don't care if it's a girl, this is plain retarded. She should be saying this to your face and then you guys could have a legitimate brawl, you know? Not this stupid threatening shit. This isn't middle school or whatever. Girls are so dumb sometimes, huh?"

_Well, so are you, buddy. _"I'm fine," she said, attempting nonchalance. "I don't care. I get this all the time."

"What? Are you serious?" His expression was becoming more and more dangerous by the second.

Oh, shit. "No," she quickly amended. "Hardly ever."

He relaxed. "Oh, that's good. But tell me if this ever happens again, all right?"

"Sure," Sakura lied with a small smile.

He grinned and gave her a thumbs-up before tossing the paper death threat back into the trash can. "Cool. Let's get to homeroom then, yeah?"

.

.

_I might've told him if I'd known what was going to happen_

.

"Hey, hey, did you hear?"

"What?"

"Sasuke-kun likes girls with long hair!"

Surprised at hearing _that name_, of all things, Sakura looked up to see a pair of girls talking a few feet away in the classroom. There was a five minute break between each class, and often students took advantage of the small time to chitchat. Sakura usually just sat at her desk and listened.

Strangely enough, today Sasuke was no where to be found (he was probably sleeping on the roof or playing hooky with some girls), which gave the girls plenty of chance to gossip about him.

"Ehh? Seriously? He likes long hair?"

"Yeah! I've decided that from now on, I'm not cutting my hair anymore."

Sakura wondered if she'd ever heard that one before. How did that rumor start? Maybe all the girls he'd ever been/brought home with had had long hair. Or maybe he actually did like long hair and she'd just had no idea. She didn't know very much about him, after all.

When she dropped back into focus, more girls had already joined in the conversation.

"Ehh, but long hair is so not in style right now, you know?"

"I know, but… but it might look good on me?"

"I look so bad with long hair! I'll just make Sasuke-kun fall in love with me the way I am. Oh, wouldn't that be so romantic?"

"I'm growing mine out if it even gives me the littlest chance."

"But you'll look like that girl from the _Ring_…"

"Well, not many girls have long hair so I'll be the unique one!"

"Not if everybody grows their hair out for him. Then he really won't notice. It's better to keep short hair if everybody else is gonna grow it out."

"Eh, I guess you're right…"

Sakura rested her head on the desk, trying to block out the squealy conversation from invading her ears too much through mental willpower.

Girls would do anything when it came to love, huh? She pondered it for a moment.

_Love…_

Sakura closed her eyes, remembering.

_How stupid._

.

.

_but I would eventually learn…_

.

When the school bell signaled the end of school, Sakura sat on her desk, waiting. Naruto usually came charging at her and would take her out somewhere, usually to their secretive spot on the roof downtown.

Really, he was so incredibly kind. She didn't like men in general; the few she knew well, like her father and… well, they had turned out to be jerks or liars. Only Naruto and that silver-haired man she'd met on her last birthday had proved that not all the male species was terrible. The "terrible" included Uchiha Sasuke, as well. She couldn't appreciate his abusive personality and he made her feel uncomfortable, as well as confuse the hell out of her on numerous occasions. He was an enigma, cruel and cold.

But her body yearned for his touch.

He had the capability to be kind. She knew that much. If he wanted to, he could be nice. He had even apologized to her a few times. She couldn't understand him, but somehow, it seemed, everything related to him in some way. Her thought processes automatically wired themselves to questions and memories about him.

The classroom door slid open. Sakura looked up, expecting Naruto—but it was only a few girls coming in. Probably forgot their pencil cases, or something.

Wait, were they even in her class?

She didn't recognize them.

And they were approaching her.

Without warning, one of them grabbed her arms and the other her legs, and suddenly she was being held in the air.

"LET ME GO!" Sakura screamed, and a third girl clamped her hand over her mouth. Sakura bit her, and the girl shrieked and jumped away.

"You bitch! Guys, she bit me!"

"PUT ME DOWN!" Sakura cried.

"Oh, shut up," the girl holding Sakura's arms said. "Just gag her or something."

The girl took her cardigan and wrapped the sleeve tightly around Sakura's mouth. Sakura didn't resist, knowing it was futile anyway; she was too skinny and weak to honestly fight three girls, especially not when they happened to be prominent members of the track and field club. Also, she would rather come out from this with as few injuries as possible, and struggling and getting dropped on her back wasn't a pleasant idea.

"Oh, Ami texted me."

"Yeah? What'd it say?"

"It just says, 'We're ready'."

"Tell her we'll be there in just a second."

"Mmkay."

Sakura's eyes widened. Ami? The leader of those brutal looking girls? Wasn't she the one that had given Sakura a "talk" before summer break? That had been months ago, just when her 'agreement' with Sasuke had began… How nostalgic.

But what the hell did Ami want with her now?

Her question was answered when she was placed on the floor in a dark, out of the way classroom. Sakura looked around, eyeing the faces of the girls who stood above her while she sat on the cold floor. Though her arms and legs weren't tied, she felt frozen and didn't make a move to escape. It was impossible, anyway. The door was closed and probably locked, and there were at least ten girls in here, the overwhelming majority of them in athletic clubs.

The situation made Sakura feel like a sacrificial lamb. Maybe that was exactly what she was, though.

Or just a girl getting bullied.

Ami was there, looking as pretty and cruel as ever. She smiled a bitter smile as she stepped forward and crouched in front of Sakura.

"Hello, Haruno Sakura-chan. I'm Ami. Remember me?"

Sakura nodded slightly.

"Well, remember what you told me then?"

Sakura shook her head.

Ami slapped her across the face, backhanded. "You told me that Sasuke-kun was just toying with you. That there was no way you'd get his attention."

Her cheek stung, but Sakura resolutely kept eye contact with the black-haired girl.

"You liar," Ami whispered.

Sakura didn't look away.

Ami's dark eyes narrowed. "I hate you. I hope you know that. Lots of people hate you. All of us here hate you." She gestured to the girls standing around them. "And I won't let you ever forget it."

With a surprisingly gentle touch, she reached forward and unwrapped the cardigan from Sakura's mouth.

"Let me go," Sakura said, when her mouth was freed. "This is stupid."

"No, it's not. This is reality." Ami dropped the cardigan to the floor, and suddenly grabbed a handful of Sakura's hair. "Hold her down, girls."

They did as they were told, and had pinned Sakura's arms and legs with their hands before she had even realized what was happening. Her struggling was in vain; Sakura desperately wished she had taken more self defense lessons. This was ridiculous, both the situation and her own powerlessness.

But her thoughts were interrupted with Ami's next few words—words that sent a deep chill through every nerve in Sakura's body.

"Emi, get me the scissors."


	18. memory

[A/N] Guhhhh. I'm taking the SAT in March (x_x) so please don't hate me if updates get REALLY slow because I'm a junior and I need to start studying! Anyone else worried about college? We can wail together.

I wish all of the other juniors/seniors good luck as they aim for college or careers. Life… siiigh. Muzukashii, ne?

Anyway… Helpful hint: Remember the name of the company that sponsors Konoha Rail? If you do, great! If not… well, doesn't really matter XD (It's in ch 11 if you're curious.)

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

18} memory

.

.

_I like to think that I locked that distant memory in my heart_

.

Long strands of pink hair surrounded Sakura on the floor, hacked away with the single pair of scissors that Ami held open in her hand.

.

.

_Kaa-san, you..._

.

"Kaa-san? Why are you crying?"

"It's nothing, Sakura. It's nothing. You know, you look very pretty with long hair. Feminine. Young. Innocent. Keep it that way for me, will you?"

.

.

_you still love Otou-san, don't you?_

.

She could feel it all too acutely—the tug of her hair as the scissors pulled against its many long strands, and how a few jagged pieces fell onto her face, jabbing her skin.

And she remembered.

.

.

_is that why you left me all alone?_

.

"She'd told us that she wanted to go on a walk—by herself. We didn't question her intentions, disregarding the usual necessary precaution… She had hid her depression too well. I'm sorry, Sakura-san. We didn't even consider the idea that she would ever—"

"Tsunade-sensei, please… Don't say it."

.

.

_because you couldn't stand seeing the traces of his face in mine?_

.

An incredible yell erupted from Sakura's throat.

It might've been the adrenaline pumping itself freely through Sakura's veins, or it might've been the sudden hot rise of anger that flashed hot in her chest, but with a powerful tug, she'd pulled herself free from the girls holding her down.

Half a second later, her hand enclosed on the open scissors.

.

.

_but I still love you, Kaa-san_

.

"She's in the abandoned classroom in the left wing's old hallway."

Sasuke looked up to meet baby blue eyes. "How did you know I was looking for Sakura?" he asked, the tone low but non-life threatening. He was genuinely surprised.

Ino smiled. "I'm whimsical and flirty, but I'm not stupid," she said with a shrug. "You've been running around the whole school for half an hour. Who else would you be looking for?"

The vampire just looked at her.

"Oh, just go save her already," Ino said, turning away and heading the opposite direction. "That stupid crybaby's probably just sitting there on her ass and wailing about how hard her life is."

There was a slight pause, and a tense silence. Then the sound of his footsteps walking away echoed around her.

Ino sighed. Actually, while it was true she had been a crybaby in elementary school, Sakura had grown up significantly since then. She was probably fighting back with everything she had and didn't even need help right now, but the emotional support that Sasuke could bring in a situation like that might make things easier for her.

_Sakura…_

Sasuke's voice cut through her thought processes like a knife: "The other day... the idiot told me that you called him. Warned him. And that you warned Sakura this morning to be careful, too."

Ino stopped in her tracks to listen to the speaking vampire, utterly bewildered. She glanced back momentarily, in an attempt to prove that she actually wasn't hallucinating. A tiny smile (not a smirk—a real, beautiful, never-before-seen-kind-of smile)—lit up his already handsome features, much to Ino's shock, who had already been convinced that his frown was the most angelic image she'd ever seen.

She whipped her head around back to the front, one hand reaching up to cover her dropped jaw.

"I don't mind a person like you," he said, and turned the corner; he was gone before Ino could even think to give a reply.

That sentence was the finishing blow. Ino felt suddenly quite glad she'd turned away, or else Sasuke might've seen the hot blush spreading like wildfire on her pale cheeks.

.

.

_I'll keep my promises to you_

.

The sharp edge dug itself into her palm, and a trickle of crimson began dripping down from her hand to the floor.

Ami stared at her and the blood pooling on the floor with horror. "_What the hell are you doing?_" she screamed. "Why would you grab the scissors, you idiot? Oh my god, oh my _god_…"

Sakura said nothing, only gazed at her with frank green eyes.

"What the hell!" Ami's voice was shaking. "You're fucking insane!" She released the scissors, but Sakura's grip continued to hold them in the air.

With one last terrified look, the black-haired girl made a run for it, her companions following close behind her.

Only once she couldn't hear their footsteps anymore did Sakura allow herself to slide onto her knees atop the hair-covered floor, her hand still clasping the scissors. "Kaa-san," she whispered, looking at her shaking, bloody fingers. "Kaa-san, I'm sorry."

Just as the words left her mouth, the door slid open with an unnecessarily powerful and loud bang. An all-too familiar presence entered the room. "I'm late, aren't I?" Sasuke asked rhetorically, looking at her.

_You asshole._ Sakura bit her lip. W_hy do you always, always come at my weakest moments? _The tears freed themselves, then, and streamed down her cheeks.

"It's okay to admit you need help, you know," he said, stepping towards her and wrapping an arm around her in a loose hug as he settled into a crouch. "Don't try to be strong by yourself."

Such confident words. Could she believe they weren't lies? But whatever doubts she had, she nodded, her tears wetting his chest.

He exhaled. "I'm going to bring you to the nurse's office. She isn't there right now, but I can take care of this much…" He took her hand gently and pried her fingers away from the scissors. Once her hand was free, he threw the scissors hard against the wall with his superior strength. They didn't break, like he had been hoping to do, but they did leave a dent in the wall.

Sasuke turned back to his consort. "Give me your hand," he ordered, and she obeyed. He bent his head and pressed his lips to the bleeding wound. He couldn't help muttering, "Idiot," as he opened his mouth and let his tongue ride over the cut. She always tried to act strong when she was really just a normal girl.

Well, no, scratch that last part. Haruno Sakura wasn't normal, she was blatantly insane—but she had feelings, just like any other human would.

_What a bitter taste, _he thought curiously, as he lapped up the crusting blood. His eyes traveled upwards to look at her face, wondering what kind of expressions she must be wearing. It was mostly blank as she watched him heal her with his saliva, but there was a faint trace of disgust. Her emerald eyes were narrowed and her bottom lip quivered a little bit, as if protesting the mundane act.

He smothered a chuckle and finished with a flourishing, wet kiss, just to spite her. "All done," he said. "Let's get you bandaged." Placing one arm around her back and the other under her thighs, he lifted her up easily and carried her out into the hall. She leaned her head easily against the crook of his shoulder and her hands clung loosely to his shirt.

_What are sick humans supposed to eat when they're traumatized…? _Sasuke pondered this question long and hard as he headed toward the nurse's office. _Vegetables and fruit, I guess… strawberries? Maybe she can just eat her strawberries. She has a shit ton of them, anyway… does she eat all those? By herself? She never has people over… Has Naruto been in there yet? I'll murder him if he has… Damn, this girl's light. She needs to seriously gain some weight. I'll make her eat a cheeseburger, maybe that'll fatten her up_—

"My mother…"

Sasuke looked down, surprised. Sakura's face was buried in his uniform shirt, her lips moving against the fabric. He could feel her heated breath against his shoulder. He hadn't expected her to talk at all.

"Your mother?" he asked. _Keep going, _he meant. _I'm listening. I'm listening to you._

She let out another breath. "She committed suicide."

There was a small silence, and Sasuke pulled Sakura a little closer to himself as her breath hitched.

"One of the last things… one of the last few things she ever said was that, 'Sakura, you look pretty with long hair.'"

Sasuke looked at the uneven patches of hair on Sakura's head now and resisted the urge to nuzzle a hand there and feel the damage for himself.

"Mother was always busy working… We didn't spend much time together. So it was the little comments like that… I remember those best." She turned even further into Sasuke's chest, hiding her face. "But I can't depend on my mother forever, right? I need to grow up and become independent, right?"

There was a quiet, muffled sob, and all of a sudden, something seemed to tear in an unexpected place in Sasuke's chest. It _hurt_, incredibly much so.

"But I don't want to be by myself anymore," his bride whispered.

If he could, he would've grown a third arm so he could wipe away her tears with its hand. But, much to his displeasure, he possessed only two. So he used measly words to convey his thoughts: "Sakura… You don't need to be alone. Why do you think I'm here?"

She sniffled. "I can't trust you at all."

If she'd looked up, she would've seen his smirk. "We're eternally soul bound, you know. I can't leave you even if I want to."

He felt the corners of her lips pull into a small smile. "Liar," she whispered.

"Shut up, Sakura," was all he said in amused reply.

.

.

_thank you_

.

"So it was you girls, huh?"

Ami and her group looked at the boy with disgust. "And_ you_ are?" she asked.

Immediately miffed at their naiveté, he yelled, "What the hell? I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Your beloved Sasuke-kun's best friend or whatever!"

They all looked at him blankly.

"Oh, whatever. I'm not here to argue," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm here to murder you all."

The girls simply stared at him, expressionless, until their leader broke the silence with a laugh. "You? This scrawny bastard?" Ami questioned. "Honey, we're all members of sports clubs. Don't look down on us just because we're girls. Plus, there's ten of us, and one of you."

"Hey, they didn't call me the Demon of Konoha for nothing," Naruto told her with a grin and brandished a large, tanned fist.

"…The _Demon_?" one of the girls squeaked. "_You're_ the Demon?"

"Never heard of that before," Ami said, trying to maintain composure even while Nina behind her was seemingly becoming hysterical.

"The Demon!" Nina was shaking. "He—he was a monster! He was only an elementary student but he beat the shit out of anybody that came too close—I remember that everybody was afraid of him and treated him like a monster…" she trailed off. "But I know that he… had blond hair and blue eyes."

"My record is twenty-seven in an hour," Naruto said. "Oh man, good times. You know Hyuuga Neji? I beat him up once, too, but that was in middle school."

"It's true," said Kyouko nervously, another of Ami's companions. "I went to the same middle school… He fractured Neji-kun's arm, you know…"

"Well, why do you care, anyway?" Ami asked, her dark eyes narrowing, as she steered the conversation away from frightening topics that would lower her girls' morale. "What do you have to do with Sakura? You like her?"

"I—what?" The Demon of Konoha's cheeks burned red in a hot blush. "What are you saying?"

"Well, isn't that pathetic. She likes Sasuke-kun, doesn't she? They go and make out between every class and you're still convinced that you have a chance—_gwah!_"

He lunged, unwilling to hear anymore.

Because it was true.

It might've been pathetic that he fell for someone he couldn't have, but he was in love with Haruno Sakura; it wasn't a feeling he could deny any longer.

.

.

_accepting the inevitable is all I can do_

.

"My father left our family right before I started my last year at middle school. I started working during the spring so I could support Kaa-san, since she had to raise me by myself. My father, he—he had been flimsy with women ever since I was little, but I'd never thought he would ever be serious about anyone but my mom… until he left with that woman.

"Kaa-san and I lived together alone after that. It was nice. She was always busy, but that way I spent most of my time doing the household chores and studying. Then, that winter, she got into a small car crash. It was no big deal, just a mild concussion and a broken leg, but she got stuck in the hospital for a while.

"I visited her every day, and I told her that I planned to quit school and start working full time… but she said no. She made me promise to attend high school. She said she'd take care of everything, but it was a lie.

"That was the last time I ever saw her.

"Later that day, I got a phone call at school… some nurse, I can't remember her name, but she told me that my mom supposedly went on a walk outside because it was warm that day. Nobody knew that she had smuggled a bottle of sleeping pills with her."

"You mean… she purposefully overdosed?" Sasuke asked, dark eyes narrowing.

Sakura nodded, looking down at her enfolded hands.

"Don't move your head or I'll accidentally cut off your ear," he warned her, as he carefully snipped some more of her hair, trying to get it somewhat even. So far, not exactly _good_, but it was all right. Ino could fix it later. "So you're living by yourself, and working…"

"I have to pay back the hospital bill."

Dark eyes narrowed. "What the hell is your father doing?"

"Otou-san is paying for my high school tuition and living expenses," she said. "I don't want to ask for anymore from a man I hate. I haven't even seen him in months."

"Sakura…" Sasuke brushed some hair off her shoulder and leaned in a little closer. "Is he the reason you don't like men?"

Her whole body tensed. "…Something like that," she said, voice slightly higher than usual.

Sasuke began snipping away again. "I'm not going to ask or make you explain," he said, his words soft. "But I hope the time will come where you trust me enough to tell me."

She closed her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

.

.

_but when would that be?_

.

The next day at school, there were no threatening notes in Sakura's locker.

They had started after her first week, mostly insults about her character, and then they had begun to morph into death threats and frustrated questions about her connection with Uchiha Sasuke. It was almost sad that their familiar presence was missing, in a way, but it was like her shoulders had been relieved of a heavy burden. She felt impossibly lighter, almost free.

There were still whispers, though, vague ones—

_(Haruno cut her hair? Or did that Ami girl actually get to her like she said she would?)_

_(Did you hear? You better stay away from her or you'll get killed by some demon!)_

—and people hadn't stopped staring at her, either. Some were glares, but a lot seemed to be constituted with fear.

Of what? Her? Did they all think she was insane, too?

Well, maybe she was.

Sakura mentally shrugged off the thought and headed to homeroom.

When she stepped in, the first thing that caught her eye was that a certain blond boy and dark-haired girl were speaking to each other in somewhat hushed tones. Naruto was sitting on the top of a desk, with his head inclined and leaning in close, listening to what Hinata, was softly saying, her pale eyes downcast. She stood slightly slouched, as if the conversation was weighing heavily on her thin shoulders.

Sakura was surprised at how intimate-looking their position was. They matched so surprisingly well, _almost like a pair of lovers_—

And just as the thought crossed her mind, Naruto glanced up and ruined the picturesque moment. "Sakura-chan!" he called. "'Morning!"

"Good morning, Sakura-chan," Hinata greeted her sweetly.

"Good morning," she replied to them both, a little uncertainly.

Naruto reached forward and flicked Sakura's forehead. "You cut your hair without telling me?" he inquired casually, eyeing her new, cropped hairstyle.

"Ah… yeah." She reached up and felt the short strands. The missing weight of her waist-length hair on her head felt extremely out of place.

"It looks really sophisticated, Sakura-chan," Hinata said.

"Thank you…"

"But it's kind of uneven?" Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Did you cut it yourself?"

"…Yeah." Well, actually, it had been a few rabid fangirls and a terribly inept vampire who had done the deed, but that was beside the point.

"You should ask Ino to fix it for you. She's really good at that sort of thing," Naruto advised.

_I know. She's been like that since we were kids. I still have that ribbon she gave me. _"Maybe," Sakura answered, and changed the subject. "You guys seemed to be discussing something important before I came... Did I interrupt your conversation?"

Hinata's entire face immediately flushed crimson. "Oh, no! Nothing! It's just…" She blinked a few times. "Um… it's just about my mother's… um…" She fumbled with her fingers nervously. "Her… H-her…"

"Her funeral anniversary," Naruto finished for her gently.

Sakura instinctively took a step back out of shock. "Oh." She hadn't known that Hinata's mother was dead.

"Well, I'm going to… going to… talk to sensei!" Hinata hastily excused herself and fled the classroom, although there were only five minutes until class started.

"There she goes," Naruto said, somewhat amused. "She's like a bird, isn't she? Flying around all over the place." Then he turned and met Sakura's gaze.

"Are you attending the funeral anniversary, Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded solemnly. "Yeah." All his usual jocularity was strangely missing. "Hinata was asking me if I would want to go."

It felt like dangerous territory to probe into, but the question slipped out of her mouth: "Are you… close to the Hyuuga family?"

There was a slight pause. "I guess you could say that," he said slowly.

Sakura wanted to ask more, but that would be pure hypocrisy when she hardly told Naruto anything about her own past. Perhaps he had a story just as dark as hers, or worse. She hadn't really considered that idea, not when Naruto was so exuberantly happy all the time as he was.

Naruto smiled, breaking the tension. "My dad was supposed to marry Hinata's mother, actually."

That had been nothing like what she'd expected to hear out of Naruto's mouth. "…Huh?" was all she could think of to say.

"It was an arranged marriage that my grandparents set up," Naruto explained, "but when he went to study abroad in America for university, he fell in love with a classmate there." His smile morphed into a wide, proud grin. "That was my mom. And then they had me."

Sakura didn't even know the gist of her own parents' love story. "Is that so…"

"Well, that's what Jiraiya told me, anyway. My godfather, I mean. But he's a novelist, so uh… he's good at making stuff up. But my dad trusted him with his life." Naruto's smile was now subtly secretive and his eyes glassy, as if recalling a distant memory. "So I trust him too."

"Naruto…"

His eyes refocused and met hers. "Have you heard of the Namikaze Company?" he asked her softly.

"I have," she answered, a little warily. It was one the largest businesses in Japan, alongside the other big names like Hyuuga.

His smile was so sad. "My father was supposed to be the heir to that, you know."

The school bell rang, abruptly interrupting the chatter of the students and signaling the start of Friday classes. Hinata came bumbling in, her face still a light pink as she settled into her chair, and Sakura could just _feel _the shift in gravity as Sasuke stepped in with his usual haughty saunter. Ino walked in with a boy in each arm and there was a stampede out in the hall as lingering students ran to class before roll was taken.

But Sakura paid no attention to the buzz around her; she watched nobody but Naruto, as he slid off the desk and sat down in his own, staring down at his feet.

Why had he suddenly revealed so much to her? Why would he tell her that, when she had no right to know… and cause him to make such a face? She had never seen him make that expression before. It was as if he was going to…

Going to… _cry_…?


	19. funeral

[A/N] I'm sorry, but I really am getting busier with school, and the SAT's are coming up. I don't mean to be slow, but I can't drop my life to focus on updating this story. :(

Anyway… Hope this chapter satisfies a little bit, even though we're taking a bit of a detour from SasuSaku. Sorry about that :P

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

19} funeral

.

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_three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead_

.

Naruto's reason for burdening Sakura with his secrets (well, a hint of them, anyway) was multi-faceted.

One: He wanted her to know that he had a painful past as well. Maybe she'd be willing to open up to him a little more if she felt she could connect to him. It was worth a shot, anyway.

Two: Well, that's just what friends did. Open up to each other. And they were friends, right?

Three: He didn't want to keep such a sad thing in the back of his mind anymore, bearing it all alone. It hurt sometimes. Sharing the burden might make things a bit easier for himself if he could talk to somebody about it, since Jiraiya wasn't there anymore and Sasuke wasn't exactly the most comforting person to be around.

And, four: He simply wanted Sakura to pity him, because at least that would be some kind of deeper attention given to him and perhaps closer to what Sakura looked at Sasuke with. (In other words, he was plain jealous of his best friend.)

It was pretty damn retarded, wasn't it? But with the traditional funeral anniversary of Hinata's mother coming up, there wasn't much else he could do but _remember_. The sadness was unbearable sometimes…. and there was a tiny bit of hatred in his heart's tangled emotions, as well, directed towards Hinata's dead mother. He suppressed it, always, but the tiny flicker just wouldn't let itself go completely out.

Sometimes he wondered if Hinata knew even a hint of the dark past they shared. He doubted it. Such an innocent, sweet girl would be utterly traumatized if she were to know. She'd probably hate him, too, considering what his father had done to her mother—Minato had completely destroyed that woman's heart, even betrayed her in some sense—but no, Hyuuga Hinata was always the timid epitome of sweetness. She treated him very kindly.

Yeah. There was no way Hinata knew.

But… what had been that fear that was in her eyes when she had asked him, "Naruto-kun… will you come?"

He had answered given an affirmative: "Yes,", softly but clearly, and seen her face shine with a nervous happiness. He couldn't deny this girl anything, if she would only ask. Their relationship with each other had quite an odd dynamic, though Hinata didn't seem to realize how carefully he watched over her. Naruto wanted to please her, to make amends for his father's faults, but at the same time, sometimes he wanted to wrap his hands around her thin neck and watch her flail as he strangled her.

These kinds of dark thoughts could _not _be healthy. Maybe Sasuke was rubbing off on him.

.

.

_everything… hurts_

.

The funeral anniversary was incredibly solemn. It seemed many Hyuuga occasions were, judging by the erect posture of its main attendees. Neji, Hinata, and her little sister remained perfectly still in their seats at the front, as if they had been trained for years, while their important relatives and family friends gave inspirational little speeches about Madam Hyuuga's passing away and how the family has stayed strong, "united and together". (Hinata squirmed a tiny bit at that phrase, though.)

Surprisingly enough, even Naruto was quiet and motionless besides a few twitches of his fingers. He was listening intensely to every word being spoken, his blue eyes focused on the front of the room. Sakura took a peek at the dark-haired vampire sitting on her other side. Uchiha Sasuke was looking forward, too, but his gaze was distant and far away. The rest of the Konoha 11 were also all incredibly quiet and respectfully inanimate.

It was at least two hours later when the formalities were finally finished and the more festive, outdoor picnic could begin. The Hyuuga family and their guests filed out into the huge Hyuuga house yard. A barbeque had already been fired up. The smell of expensive steak and bottles of champagne permeated the slightly chilly air, wafting around in the air and tempting all that were present.

A slight breeze blew and kissed the bare skin on Sakura's arms; she shivered lightly.

"Winter's coming," Sasuke's voice said into her ear, and something warm dropped onto her thin shoulders. "I'll let you borrow this for now."

"Being a gentleman?" she asked, securing the suit jacket he'd given her tightly around herself and her sleeveless black dress.

"Always," he said, with a little smirk. "I can't have my blood donor get sick now, can I?"

She wasn't convinced of his sincerity. "Hmph."

"I see the weather's been affecting you, Sakura. You're acting so cold," he said, chuckling. "Let's get something warm to eat."

Sasuke's hand took hers so naturally that she wouldn't even have given it a second thought had his fingers not been so warm. Their heat was comforting. Sakura automatically gripped his hand a tiny bit tighter, and though she noticed the slight smirk Sasuke wore when she did so, she didn't have the energy to make a sharp-witted comment about it.

The Konoha 11 and Sakura got their food quickly and sat down in a designated area for them, which was over a large blue blanket in the far side of the Hyuuga main property.

"It's cold!" Tenten said. "Winter's on its way, I guess."

"It's your fault for wearing a sleeveless dress," Ino remarked. "_I _dressed sensibly." And it was true. Her black skirt, white collared shirt and gray sweater all made a very sophisticated look that kept her warm.

"Yeah? Well—hmm… Damn, I've got nothing," Tenten said, defeated. "You win."

There was a slight moment of silence as Neji wordlessly slipped off his suit jacket and dropped it into her lap.

"Oh, Neji, you're an absolute sweetheart," Tenten said, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek; he simply rolled his eyes at the friendly gesture. "Didn't think it'd be so cold already! It's only October."

"Ah! If it's October, then doesn't that mean Naruto-kun's birthday is coming up?" Lee asked, pumping a fist. "We must prepare something in celebration!"

Naruto laughed. "I think I'm okay," he said, waving it off. "No need for that."

"You are lacking in youth, my friend! It is your sixteenth birthday, after all!"

"Ahaha." Naruto's grin was a little tired-looking. "I guess so."

"How troublesome," Shikamaru said sullenly.

Chouji's only comment was, "If you have a party, there better be a lot of food."

"Sorry, guys, but I don't really like to celebrate my birthday," Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"What? But you were excited about Sasuke's!"

"Yeah, but that's 'cause he's got a stick shoved up his ass and needs to learn how to party."

"At least I've never gotten tied up a tree by my own math teacher," Sasuke responded. "Twice."

"Hey! We agreed to forget about that and never speak of it again, didn't we?"

"I never agreed to something like that."

Sakura sighed as the bickering continued. This strange group of friends—all they did was argue about nonsensical things. It was, seriously, a conundrum to figure out how they were the most popular people at school. Only Neji and Hinata were serious _and _good-looking people, compared to the rest of the eccentric Konoha 11… Sakura's eyes glanced over at the cousin pair. Neji was sitting with his arms crossed and back perfectly erect, silently watching, with the hint of a smile on the corner of his lips as he listened to the argument that Tenten had now joined. And Hinata was—

Her expression was extremely pale and she looked as if she were about to throw up. Something was clearly wrong.

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Hinata?"

She returned the look with a frightened one. "E-excuse me!" The girl suddenly rose to her feet and sped away unsteadily towards the empty house.

Naruto's expression seemed to change; then he silently got onto his own feet and started after her, dropping the conversation he had just been having.

"Where are you going, Naruto?" Ino worded the question everybody wanted to ask.

"Just keep talking, don't worry about me," he said, not looking back. "I think there's something I really need to finish in the house."

Neji was the last to speak. "Don't do anything unnecessary," he warned the other boy quietly. The words were brief, but there was a kind of concern behind them that Sakura couldn't quite interpret.

Was that concern meant for Naruto or for his cousin? Or both?

Naruto just gave the older boy a brief, sad sort of smile, and then he was off without a worded reply.

The image of him chasing after Hinata was one that Sakura would remember for years afterwards.

.

.

_a connection both beautiful…_

.

Naruto well knew the look Hinata wore whenever she was about to cry… because he often secretly wore the exact same expression.

That girl… maybe she did know the truth that their families had hid from them for years.

_Fuck._

.

.

_and thoroughly unbearable_

.

"Don't worry so much," Sasuke muttered in Sakura's ear. "That anxious expression suits you so well it's bothering me."

Sakura pushed his face away from hers with a cold hand. "I just think Naruto will hurt her because he's so blunt."

"That's true," he said, taking her hand and holding it in his own, warming it. "They'll definitely hurt each other with what they say, but they'll be fine soon enough."

She turned to look at him speculatively. "What's making you so sure about that?"

His smirk was tiny, but it was there. "Because I know them. She loves him, and he can't stand seeing anybody cry. They'll make it work, like they've always done."

.

.

_like always_

.

"Hinata! Oi, Hinata! Wait!"

She gave him a tiny glance, and then immediately broke into a run.

_Holy shit! _Naruto was surprised. _I didn't think she could get away so fast! But—_

He tore into a powerful sprint.

_I can definitely catch her…!_

Though, of course, she wasn't slowing down at all, making this as difficult as it could be—"Hinata!" he shouted. "Wait a second!" His hand made contact with her wrist; his fingers entwined her thin arm and he pulled her back into his chest.

Her cheeks were wet when her face gently bumped into the fabric of his shirt. She glanced up at him warily. "Naruto-kun…"

"…Aa?" All of Naruto's energy seemed to sink away as he met her pale eyes. He really couldn't stand seeing girls that he knew well cry; it felt like they were baring their souls out for him to see. Hinata, Ino, Tenten, and Sakura hardly ever cried, so the few times they did , it was awfully painful to see. "Why are you crying, Hinata?"

She looked away. "It hurts to see your face, Naruto-kun," Hinata answered him softly.

.

.

_eh…?_

.

"I guess shit's going down, huh?" Ino said light-heartedly, as she sipped her sparkling apple cider (that Sakura was about 99% sure had been spiked, judging by Ino's lack of discretion). "After all, Hinata's mother was the one that ruined Naruto's family."

"_Ino_…"

"Shika, you're always so serious! This is why you never get laid, huh? But oh, man, I guess Hinata's been feeling emotional since Naruto's birthday is coming up. That was the day his parents died, after all."

"Don't speak about that in public, Yamanaka." Neji's voice was even, but his pale eyes were ablaze with anger.

"Like you have right to talk!" Ino shot back. "You were always bullying Hinata during middle school, even going so far as to call her _Hinata-sama_ in that horrible, teasing way of yours—until Naruto broke your arm and thrashed some sense back into you."

The Hyuuga's stare changed into something akin to melancholy, but still retained its imposing power. "What I did to my cousin was wrong, I admit that," Neji said (and somehow Tenten's hand sneakily found a way into his so naturally that Sakura really wouldn't have noticed, except she'd been thinking about how Sasuke's hand had found hers), "but these are private family matters, and Hinata is a very private person."

"Doesn't hurt to talk about it. Everybody already knows what happened," Ino said with a shrug.

"Except Sakura," Sasuke said.

All eyes immediately turned to Sakura. She blinked back at them, keeping her expression disinterested. (To be honest, though, she _was_ pretty curious.)

Silence.

"Well, doesn't she have a right to know?" Tenten asked. "Sakura's one of us now."

Neji met Tenten's eyes, and there was some kind of exchange between their gazes; then he turned and looked at Sakura.

"Whatever," he murmured, and crossed his arms—his version of an _Okay, but only because you asked_.

"Well, for starters… Sakura, do you know about the Hyuuga family?"

.

.

_there was so much that I didn't know_

.

Naruto tensed. "…You know what happened?" he asked, and his fingers pressed into the girl's thin back.

"Yes." It was the softest whisper that escaped those pale, shaking lips.

He dropped his arms and stepped back. "Ahh… I'm hurting you, aren't I? By letting you see my face… it must be like torture to be reminded about that every day."

"That's not—That is… that… that kind of th-thing… I don't… I just…" Hinata's eyes welled up with tears once more, and she hid them under her growing fringe of hair. "I'm… sorry."

He let out a sigh. "I should be the one to say that," Naruto said quietly. "I should be apologizing for everything my family has done to you."

.

.

_worthless apologies are all I can seem to say_

.

"They're one of the richest families in Japan, really traditional and prestigious, too."

"…Traditional?"

"As in, like, arranged marriages aren't uncommon. And the first born son inherits the best stuff and all that. Hinata's the current heiress to the main company, since she has no brothers, so she's next in line to take her father's position as the head of the company when Hyuuga-san retires."

"…But what about…?" Sakura's eyes glanced towards Hinata's cousin, who was sitting peacefully opposite her.

"Oh, Neji? Well, he's kind of an exception," Tenten said as she stroked the boy's hand with her thumb. "See, his father and Hinata's father were twin brothers, but Hiashi-sama—Hinata's father—came first, and so he was considered the first-born son. Neji's family was pushed to a branch of the company. He was bitter for the longest time about it, too… He kept saying it was his 'Destiny and there's nothing I can do about it even if I work hard!' and blah blah blah."

"_Tenten_."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that that's a touchy subject for you, Neji," Tenten joked. "Anyway. There's a lot of people that hate Hinata because of her position and a lot of people are thinking Neji should actually be the next head. Those people keep saying Hinata's not worth it, and she's a girl, too—in this day and age, it's pretty normal for women to be in positions of power, but when all the other influential people in the Hyuuga are male and extremely traditional, Hinata's position is unheard of. Hinata's mother got a lot of shit for it, too. So many members of the family called her worthless because she couldn't give birth to a son. They all hated her, even when they treated her with shallow respect on the outside, and she knew it."

"This funeral anniversary is only for reputation's sake," Neji added quietly.

"To make matters even worse, Hizashi-sama—Hinata's father's twin brother—had a son. That's Neji. People began to think Hizashi-sama should have been the true head of Hyuuga."

"Otou-sama never wanted to be such a thing," Neji said.

"Mm." Tenten's hand gripped his tightly. "But Hizashi-sama died in a car accident when Neji was still a kid. There were rumors that Hinata's father set the whole thing up so there couldn't be any more competition, but the truth is that Hizashi-sama actually died to save his brother. Pushed him out of the way. Dramatic, isn't it? But people wouldn't believe it, especially the media. Everyone thought Hinata's father _must _have killed his own brother."

Ino sighed. "It was all over the news. I remember because my parents were saying how stupid the Hyuuga were for spreading rumors about their own company head."

"So their reputation sunk like crazy, and Hinata's family was under a lot of stress. Hinata was always timid, especially because of the way the family elders tended to look at her like she was useless… but after seeing all of that—She broke. She's been picking up the pieces ever since."

"Then she met Naruto-kun!" Lee grinned. "And he saved her."

"I'm getting to that! Geez." Tenten rolled her eyes. "Well, she got to middle school. The family really looked down on where she decided to attend—it's just a normal public middle school, nothing special. That's where we all went. But in Hyuuga standards, it wasn't even on their radar. They were all shocked that Hinata would choose such a no-name school like ours. But she had her reasons. I don't really know them all, but mostly… I think she just wanted to start fresh. She wanted to go somewhere where she wouldn't be judged by anything but her own strengths and weaknesses. Nobody knew, for the longest time, that she was actually a member of _the_ Hyuuga family."

"But Neji here decided to follow her," Ino said disdainfully. "Such a bully. He wanted to show her up."

"It was under the Elder's orders," he replied. "And Hiashi-sama's request."

"You still agreed. And Hiashi-sama hates Hinata—he's always been a terrible father to her. You just wanted an excuse to torture her some more—"

"That's not the point now, Ino," Tenten said. Ino huffed a little, but she crossed her arms and leaned back. Tenten was something like an older sister to the Konoha 11 and deserved respect. "Anyway, Neji did end up transferring to our middle school, and, as expected, he got perfect scores in everything. Compared to Hinata, he was doing exceptionally well. She was in all the advanced classes and everything, but even when she got second place in the entrance exam—Sasuke over there got first—and was top of the class, she still wasn't as good as Neji, and the Hyuuga elders all saw that."

Kiba suddenly spoke up. "She was really withdrawn, mostly because she was scared of being judged," he said, "but also because seeing Neji every day was like torture for her."

Neji suddenly turned his head away to stare at an inanimate object some distance away.

"But then she met Naruto," Tenten said.

Ino smiled. "That changed _everything_ for her."

"For _all _of us," Lee amended quietly, but with deep enthusiasm.

"Naruto's way of life really inspired her," Tenten continued. "Well, inspired a lot of us. He's the reason most of us are friends. But her inspired_ her_ especially. And, well, we all know she kind of has a… um… a crush?"

Everybody sighed. "And that idiot still doesn't realize it," somebody muttered.

"Anyway, he became something like a goal for her. He helped her accept herself for who she was, and really introduced her true self to everybody… Since then, Hinata's gotten much stronger and independent now. She seems weak but she's actually incredible if you get to know her."

Sakura exhaled softly. "I know." She'd especially seen Hinata's prowess at kindness firsthand.

"So, basically, Naruto was her dream. But then she found out the truth about her connection to Naruto, and it crushed her. Bad."

She met Sakura's eyes, and there was a small pause.

Everybody looked down or away, any direction where they wouldn't have to show their faces when Tenten said the words that sent shivers down Sakura's spine.

"Hinata found out that her mother had killed his parents," Tenten said softly.


	20. hatred

[A/N] It has been so long since I last updated. I'M SO SORRY. Firstly, months ago, my hard drive crashed. I lost EVERYTHING. Then, I had to take my SAT I, then the Subject tests in May. Then Life just got in the way: school projects, Arts night practices, daily homework, AP exams, my high school sorority's fundraising/club rivalry/club events, Student Council elections… etc, etc. But summer is coming soon and then I can really focus on writing (on both Fanfiction and college applications! Haha! FML, seriously).

Also, end of term/year exams are next week! HAHAHAHAHA. FMLFMLFMLFMLFML.

Moral of the story: Back up your hard drive. Also, private school sucks.

Happy reading :P

(I really am sorry about taking so long...)

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

20} hatred

.

.

_whisper sweet nothings in my ear; that's all I could ever ask of you_

.

"I, Uzumaki Kushina, take you, Namikaze Minato, to be my beloved husband, and I vow to always love you with sincerity; to care for you even after we fight about who gets the last doughnut; to honor your opinion, even if it's completely and utterly wrong; to treasure our future children; to be at your side to wipe away your tears or to support you whenever you begin to fall; and I promise to be faithful to you, now and forever, even after death, and to never take the beautiful happiness we have built together for granted."

A slight pause. "That raised the bar a bit higher than expected," Minato said, biting his lip. "I think you've won this one."

Kushina shrugged. "It's always a competition with you, isn't it?"

"Well, I was hoping that my own declaration of love would be at least touching, but yours kind of… Damn it, I can't cry at my own wedding, right?"

"Oh, you crybaby." Kushina lightly flicked the blond's forehead. He winced. "All you ever do is cry when you're with me."

"But it's a happy crying," Minato retorted, wiping away one of the happy tears with the back of his hand.

Kushina sighed, exasperated.

"C'mon, lovebirds, get on with it," the minister whispered, good-naturedly. "Do you want to get married or not?"

"I'll wing this, then," Minato said. He _ahem_ed and stood up straight, and met Kushina's eyes.

There was a long pause as he bit his lip.

"Well…?" Kushina asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Don't rush me." He took another deep breath, and Kushina noticed that his hands were shaking. He exhaled slowly before starting. "Well… I, Namikaze Minato, take you, Uzumaki Kushina, to be my lawfully wedded wife, and I vow to always perceive the best in you; to buy you flowers when I forget our future anniversaries, because you know I don't have a head for dates; to cherish our future children and provide them with a constantly warm home; to always recognize that you possess the fiercest and most loving personality I've had the misfor—um, good fortune to run into and fall in love with; to remember that every kiss is special; and I promise that no circumstance can change the amount or quality of my love for you, unless it's to strengthen it, because even when our surroundings change, we'll never forget who we are."

There was a gushing "Aw~" from the friends that sat on the pews, watching them with smiles.

"I hope you know that I love you," Kushina said, unable to stop herself from grinning.

"I think I clearly love you more," Minato replied, loudly enough that the first few pews of people could hear him. Kushina blushed as her now-husband bent forward.

Everybody was clapping as the two freshly graduated students from Konoha University—New York Division tilted their heads and pressed their lips to each other's so very tenderly.

.

.

_sometimes it's painful to say, but…_

.

"Hinata… please don't cry." The blue eyes were pleading and the big tan hands that touched her shoulders were soothing. "I'm sorry that my family did this to you."

"It's not your family's fault at all, Naruto-kun," she whispered. "It was my mother's—everything…"

"No, it was my father's." Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously. "He backed out of the engagement on his own. He abandoned your mother here in Japan, and married some girl all of a sudden. That was just—"

Hinata just shook her head. "My mother… was crazy. You know that."

"All the more reason my father should have stayed. To take care of her."

"Naruto-kun, please stop comforting me." Her voice was unexpectedly steady. Hinata looked up, eyes silver and vaguely wet, and her expression was full of pain. "I know you're hurting, too."

.

.

_despite everything, I love you_

.

"I don't…" Sakura blinked a few times, feeling disoriented. Sasuke's hand was pressed against the small of her back; she was grateful for the steady warmth of it.

"Don't understand?" Tenten leaned back and let out a deep breath. "I don't think any of us do. Hinata's mother… Well, mostly people would call her crazy. The Hyuuga called her… What was it, Neji?"

His reply was monotone. "She was 'ill'," he said, eyes tense. "The children would say she 'wasn't all there'."

"Oh, right." Tenten pulled at a strand of loose hair. "What I know is that she'd break out into fits at random times… There are suspicions she was probably abused as a kid, which is why she turned out that way. I can't blame her, but the things she did to Hinata… actually, I guess it'd be the lack of things she did. Hinata was totally neglected."

"That's why Hinata's got such low self-esteem," Ino added. "The fact that her entire family seemed to hate her didn't help, either."

"But how did Hinata's mother kill—?" Sakura wanted to choke on the words.

"Well. This is when we get into more politics." Tenten sighed. "Naruto's father was the heir to the huge Namikaze company, and Hinata's mother was the heiress of an important branch of the Hyuuga, so their parents decided that an arranged marriage between them would be a perfect match." Tenten's brown eyes looked down. "But before that, Naruto's father—Namikaze Minato—decided to take a brief year abroad to study in the United States. And he fell in love with a half-Japanese, half-American girl there, Uzumaki Kushina. Namikaze-san broke off his engagement with Hyuuga-sama and instead got married with Uzumaki-san, and they had Naruto."

"You might as well get to the point," Sasuke's voice said somewhere near Sakura's ear. She hadn't realized they were sitting so close; her shoulder could feel the warmth of his chest.

"I am. It's just hard to say," Tenten replied. "Well, Namikaze-san's parents basically disowned him, cut off all connections, so Naruto's parents lived in America for a while. They weren't exactly well-to-do but they were happy. Eventually, Namikaze-san decided he should visit his parents, since it'd been a while since he'd left them. He wanted them to see their only grandchild, but he wanted to be clear that he wasn't coming back to the company. But Hyuuga-sama… she heard he was coming back. And in the middle of a fit, she ran outside, took one of the company's cars, and she started rushing down to meet them… She hadn't taken her sedative medicine. It was a terrible crash. You can imagine what happened."

"…She did all that… because she was angry?"

"No." Tenten looked down. "It was because she loved Namikaze-san so much."

Sakura felt a chill run through her spine.

.

.

_if that's love… then I don't want it_

.

"Tenten." Neji looked tense. "Be careful with what you say."

"We can trust Sakura—"

"That's not what I mean." Neji's eyes flickered towards the laughing group of Hyuuga men standing a few hundred feet away. His message was clear: even if the babbling old men didn't seem to be listening, they could most definitely be. (On another note, Sakura was somewhat pleased that Neji trusted her, even if he'd said it in an indirect way.)

"We'll continue this later, then," Tenten said.

.

.

_but if that's ever what our situation came down to… could I ever kill him?_

.

"Hinata—" _You're so strong. You're incredible, you know that? _But his mouth was too dry to say the words.

The girl smiled; her short black hair fell a little over her face and Naruto wanted so much to reach up and tuck it behind her ear, but she just looked so fragile right then that he didn't dare—for fear of breaking her.

Like his father did to her mother.

"Let's keep a distance," Hinata said softly, suddenly, so unexpectedly.

He blinked. "W...what?"

"I think unconsciously we've been doing that, already. It won't be hard for you, right?" She smiled, and reached up to brush away a leaf on his shoulder. "I… don't want to be a burden."

He still couldn't speak, couldn't get the words out.

To tell her she was wrong, to tell her that no, it was fine, he liked having her around, she was such a positive presence and yet his stupid lips refused to move and his chest trembled with some strange, sinking feeling.

"I'll see you around," she whispered, and gave him another smile. He wondered if that was a tear he saw shimmering on her cheek, but before he could get a closer look, she turned around and headed into the house, her little feet taking her away, out of his grasp—

His fingers ached to reach for her but for some reason, Uzumaki Naruto just couldn't move.

.

.

_I'm… getting abandoned again_

.

Fear.

Sakura lay on her bed, gazing up at the ceiling.

Fear—that's what it was, wasn't it? This strange feeling in her gut…

Sasuke had told her the rest of the story on their walk back home. She hadn't asked, but he started talking and she didn't stop him.

All three parents were killed in the car crash. Naruto's were dead, and Hinata's mother. Naruto's survival was widely considered a miracle. Somehow Namikaze Kushina had twisted herself around to cradle Naruto safely in her arms to lessen the shocking force of the impact and protect his small body with her own.

The only contact with a Japanese number on Namikaze Minato's cellphone had been a man named Jiraiya, who immediately rushed to the scene and claimed Naruto: "I'm his Godfather. And more of a grandfather to this kid than his biological ones may ever be." To keep Naruto safe from Minato's parents, Jiraiya gave Naruto his mother's family name.

"I can't tell you much about Hinata," Sasuke had said, "but I know her situation must have been even worse." Her family was put to shame because of her mother's alleged suicide attempt, Hinata was pushed into the judging eyes of the entire family, including her father, despite being only two years old.

Their reunion at middle school was completely unexpected. Naruto recognized Hinata during role call ("Hyuuga Hinata!"). Hinata, at that time, either did not know about their past or had pretended to not know who he was.

Naruto approached her, acting friendly, wanting to know more about her. At first, it was out of malice. Become friends, and then catch her unaware. Naruto wanted to hurt her. Naruto wanted her to know that he did not forgive her family for killing off his parents and leaving him alone in the world.

"But then he saw the way she was treated." Sasuke's eyes had looked tense as he continued.

Hyuuga Neji came into the picture.

Neji was cruel. Being a member of the Branch family had taught him that to be cruel was the only way to survive. And there were other things. More painful, subtle things. Neji was hurt and he wanted to hurt Hinata, too.

The only thing he could do was to hate them all.

He _hated_ the unfairness of the Hyuuga company.

He _hated_ how he was inferior to the Head family because his father had been the second son.

He_ hated_ how Hyuuga Hiashi, Head of the company, was the one who'd caused the death of his father.

So, he _hated_ Hinata.

He _hated _her for being Hiashi's daughter.

Her _hated_ her for always smiling—when he could never be happy; when she had everything he didn't; when he hurt her and she acted like it was okay for him to hurt her.

Because she forgave him.

And he _hated_ her for that, _hated _her because she forgave him every time, no matter how much he bruised her delicate pale skin or tore her already troubled mind apart.

And, for that, Naruto couldn't help but think he hated her, too.


	21. distance

[A/N] Confession: I'm actually a huge NejiHina fangirl (^-^;) But I like NaruHina too. XD No NejiHina in this fic, worry not.

Thank you for all your love! Shelter's reached 200+ story alert and favorites. This is really unexpected progress for me ヽ(*・ω・)ﾉ I'm really grateful for the support. So, please enjoy the next chapter of Shelter! The theme this time is "distance"—its presence or the lack thereof.

Happy reading~

P.S. I PROMISE WE WILL GET BACK TO SASUSAKU SOON.

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

21} distance

.

.

_my fingers reach for you, but is your skin even tangible?_

.

_Run. Little brother… Just run. You can't… defeat me._

_Shut up—SHUT UP—SHUT THE HELL UP! Fuck you, Itachi! Otou-san and Okaa-san—I'll avenge them with my own hands… I'LL KILL YOU._

Because getting hurt by the ones you love—that is more painful than death.

So cut yourself away.

Destroy those bonds.

Keep yourself from getting hurt any longer.

Because in the end, you can't trust anybody.

.

.

_not even your own family_

.

"Sakura-chan!" He was running, laughing, spiked blond hair shaking as he hurried over to her.

Wearing such a happy expression—where did all the melancholy disappear to that had weighed him down at the funeral anniversary?

"Hey, Naruto." Sakura avoided his tackle by stepping lightly behind Sasuke.

"Don't use me as a shield," the vampire muttered in Sakura's ear as he pushed the blond off himself.

Naruto thumped his best friend's chest with a tanned fist. "G'morning, bastard."

Sasuke caught the fist and held it in the air. "Shut up, Useless."

"I see _you're_ in a good mood."

"Speak for yourself. Did you jerk off this morning or something?"

"Hmm? Naw." Naruto didn't react violently; he chuckled. Sakura and Sasuke exchanged glances. "Well, time for class, huh? I don't really wanna go, though…" He pulled his hand out of Sasuke's and began heading to the building. When his friends didn't follow, he turned around with expectant blue eyes.

He was wearing a smile that was just _too_ happy, and it creeped Sakura out.

"Coming?" Naruto asked.

Sakura took a step back, somehow… afraid. Afraid of this fake Naruto.

He was acting strangelyly, and she didn't know how to handle the situation.

Her vampire consort, just a few paces in front of her, paused, and looked back. "…Yeah. C'mon, Sakura. We'll be late if we don't go now."

That dark gaze was all too clear in its message: _Relax._

Sakura gazed at him for a moment. Sasuke-kun just knew her too well, didn't he?

But her feelings didn't matter right now. Naruto's feelings… _Something happened, _Sakura thought. _Something happened yesterday at the funeral anniversary._

But… what could have happened?

It wasn't as if Hinata could have said something to hurt him so badly.

Maybe he'd remembered something painful?

"Then… Let's go," she said.

.

.

_and let's begin_

.

"Uzumaki? Damn, that guy's so happy it's weird."

Hyuuga Hinata glanced over to see a group of her fellow new middle school first years standing together by the classroom door. She didn't recognize most of them. She walked over and passed them, needing to leave through the door, and tried not to listen, but their loud voices reached her ears even as she was walking down the hallway.

She had no idea who this Uzumaki was, so it didn't really matter, right?

Still, she didn't like that they were talking about him behind his back.

"What do you think, Sasuke?"

This voice was deeper and sounded a bit crueler than the others'. "Me? I hate him."

"So like you."

A few of the guys chuckled.

"You guys fight all the time. What punishment did the principal give you this time? It's the fifth time in two days."

Hinata sped up her pace slightly and turned the corner at the end of the hall, hoping not to get noticed. Unfortunately, that was just what happened. "Hey, Hinata-chan!"

She flushed and kept walking, trying to pretend she hadn't heard her name get called and ignore the fact she could hear his footsteps behind her. A few of the boys at this middle school were establishing themselves as players, and it was only the first week. This kind of thing had never happened at any of her other schools, all private and well-established institutions.

Perhaps the rumors she had heard from her fellow privileged classmates from previous years were right.

1. Public school kids are poor. You hardly have to pay anything to attend. (Well, the tuition was definitely cheap, but Hinata couldn't help but think that paying an exorbitant price to attend a private school probably sounded stupid to normal people.)

2. The uniforms are awful. Usually it's just a white shirt, tie, and skirt. (Personally, Hinata didn't much like designed and very specific uniform requirements of her past schools. They were expensive and the dress code guideline was very strict, so the dress code was easy to violate and consequently get punished for. This school was much more lenient.)

3. Public school boys can't keep it in their pants and flirt with everyone. (She'd turned a bright red upon hearing that one.)

4. The bathrooms always smell really bad. (This one was, unfortunately, quite true.)

5. People actually have sex in classrooms! (Hearing this one had made her faint.)

A brown-headed boy—his name was Iba or Inuzi or something,_ oh_ she just couldn't remember—slung his arm around her, effectively trapping her in the middle of the hallway. "You really should stop and listen when I say your name."

"Ah—um—I—Ika…?" she stuttered. Oh, boys had never touched her like this before! All her old schools had been all-girls'. Once boys from the neighboring all-boys' school had come to visit and either gender had sat on completely opposite sides of the room.

Never had a man—no, never had _anybody _ever slung his or her arm around her shoulders like this!

"In…Ik…" She struggled, trying to locate his name in the recesses of her mind.

"It's Kiba. Inuzuka Kiba." His breath was hot against her cheek as he spoke. "Remember it."

"I-Inuzuka-kun… I h-have to go home."

"What, do you have such a strict curfew you can't even hang out for a bit?"

"Y-yes." Hinata looked anywhere but him.

"Kiba, let her go," called one of the other boys. He laughed. "She looks terrified."

"Yeah, but…" He grinned. "I kinda like a shy girl."

"I-Inuzuka-kun, I—" She was really feeling quite faint…

"Oi, you idiot!" A sudden kick in the head threw Inuzuka Kiba to the ground.

"You fuckin' retard!" Kiba shouted, and tackled the body that had attacked him.

Hinata blinked a few times, taking in the image.

Her savior was a blond boy, somewhat short in stature. He was slender and wore an orange watch.

…He had amazingly blue eyes.

The two boys wrestled for a bit on the floor, but it quickly turned into a laughing fit.

"Oh, damn, get off me! You're fuckin' heavy!"

"Hey, hey, I'm smaller than you!"

"That's not a good thing, idiot!"

They eventually got up, helping each other.

The blond boy grinned at Hinata, who was still standing there, shocked and frozen. So public school boys were violent, too?

And then he spoke. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! We're in the same class." His voice was nasally and a bit high-pitched but…

It was so friendly.

"I… I-I'm Hyuuga Hinata. P-pleased to m-m-make your acquaintance, U-Uzumaki-san!" She bowed her head.

"Uh… you're really formal." Naruto sounded both amused and surprised.

Hinata flushed and quickly stood up straight.

"Well, excuse this dog-boy here, he doesn't know what he's doing—Yowch! Kiba, don't hit my head! You'll crack all my brain cells and I need those! I get bad enough grades already!"

"As if Uchiha Sasuke hasn't already destroyed your brain?" Kiba said, laughing.

"Ugh, don't talk about that bastard! Hyuuga, don't listen to him. I'm actually pretty smart, you know. I mean, I passed the entrance exam, didn't I?"

He smiled at her, and it seemed to shift gravity.

That was the day Hinata first took notice of Uzumaki Naruto.

.

.

_he could convey his feelings in a way she never could_

_._

She started noticing him every day after the Inuzuka incident.

He was so cheerful all the time, and yet so easily frustrated—especially when it came to matters of his rivalry with Uchiha Sasuke. The two's bitter competition gave class 1-B some excitement during the normal school day.

And he _approached _her. On his own. Smiling, laughing, warm.

He was like the sun.

"Hinata! I can call you that, right?"

He crouched by her desk, his arms and chin resting on the hard wooden surface, with his blue eyes looking up at her under long lashes.

"S-sure!" Hinata said, feeling her fingers tremble from the utter happiness. It was like a dream. He was looking _up_ at her. Smiling. It was so different from the usual downcast grimaces she received.

"Then you can call me Naruto." He grinned.

Somehow it felt too good to be true.

.

.

_if it's a dream, then let me live in this fantasy_

.

"…He's really amazing."

The nanny looked up at the sudden outburst. "Hm? Did you say something, Hinata-sama?" she said helpfully, and rested her open book on her lap as she glanced over at the young girl gazing out the window, the slim fingers pressed against the glass.

"Uzumaki-kun." Hinata's expression had a subtle glow to it. "He seems to dance wherever he goes."

The nanny lazily craned her head to see a rather short, stupid-looking blond child about Hinata's age strolling on the street. She looked at the young girl blankly. "Your crush?" she asked.

The paleness of Hinata's visage morphed into an obscene red. "N-n-n-n-no…! Just a, um… a classmate."

The nanny shrugged and put her nose back into the orange romantic novel. "Well, okay then." She didn't really care much; she was more interested in the sexual adventures of the characters in the pages she held than of the timid development of this wealthy child left in her care.

Hinata turned back to the figure of her idol, the blond boy. His back was to her and he was walking away, his figure shrinking as it drew closer to the horizon line where the street met the sinking sun.

Suddenly, the boy turned.

Pale violet met intense blue.

He smiled, waved, acknowledged her, and Hinata stopped breathing.

Then he turned the corner and disappeared.

Hinata's trembling fingers dropped from the window. She fervently wished she could be on the opposite side of the glass. To cross this invisible barrier and stand by Uzumaki-kun's side.

Perhaps one day, she would be one to glance back and smile a toothy grin, instead of the one longingly gazing out, her small nose pressed against the glass of her own mental imprisonment.

Ah, but she could not hope that anybody else would ever have to suffer the feeling of being stuck behind a window—able to see out but never escape…

.

.

_trapped and pining away_

.

It was in wintertime that year that the Big Fight happened.

Naruto got angry easily. He was generally cheerful, but any insult directed towards his family or his friends would not go without at least a punch or two in retaliation.

"You bastard, _why are you always like that?_"

Sasuke, meanwhile, was generally stoic and cool. If Naruto was fire, he was ice. But when Naruto got too close—it sparked a change in state.

"What does my life, or anything about it, have to do with _you_?" Sasuke caught his classmate's thrown fist and the two met eyes. "Let me make this clear," he said, leaning in a little bit to the other boy's face. "You _can't _win!" He kicked Naruto in the chest, sending him flying into a desk.

The blond lost his breath for a moment, but he automatically began getting up. "Everybody's trying to get along with you, trying to get to know you better… trying and trying, even Shikamaru… What the hell are you thinking..?" Naruto got to his feet and charged. "_You still don't acknowledge any of them!_"

He knocked Sasuke to the floor, his fist grabbing the fabric of the Sasuke's uniform shirt.

Sasuke looked up at him from the floor, dark eyes unreadable. "You want me to acknowledge them? What will that do for me? Does it _benefit _me to act nice to them?" He spat. "Do you not get it? _I don't care_."

Naruto's reply was a well-executed punch to Sasuke's smooth white cheek.

.

.

_public school boys… are really violent_

.

"Why do you keep fighting even when you can hardly stand?" Sasuke brushed off the dirt from his mouth and spat the rest of it. Two male teachers had grabbed either arm of the young, beautiful boy. Sasuke didn't try to fend off their arms, but he still glared at them.

Naruto, held onto by two other teachers, did try to fight them off, yelling and kicking. "I never give up or run away!" he shouted. "That's the way I live."

Hinata, standing off to the side with the other students, suddenly felt something akin to an epiphany.

Sasuke just stared at him and then looked away.

They had fought but… something seemed to have changed in both of them.

The blue gaze was brighter than usual.

And the black gaze was softer than usual.

The damage in the classroom was incredible. A ruined student desk that had to hold the weight of a thrown boy, a broken chair that had been thrown and lay in splintered pieces on the floor, and three broken windows.

Hinata gazed at the windows, looking at the sharp glittering pieces and at the jagged bits still clinging to the square pane.

Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke fought violently, but somehow… they had connected. They had transcended their barriers.

She admired them.

As the teachers dragged the two boys to the principal, another making irritated phone calls to their parents, Hinata watched them timidly. Their feet dragged on the floor and Naruto continued struggling.

"Even if you escape, you're still in trouble!" one of the teachers snarled, and Naruto pouted.

Hinata couldn't help but giggle as she watched him pout, pulled by the arms.

Suddenly Naruto looked up at her, and met her eyes.

She blushed.

"Hinata!" he shouted over to her, as the distance between them increased as the teachers pulled him farther and farther away. "You look really cute when you smile!"

Her face turned an incredible red and suddenly she felt very, very dizzy.

.

.

_ perhaps the happiness was getting to her _

.

"Hinata."

"Y-yes, Otou-san?"

The pale gaze narrowed just a tiny bit. Hinata knew her father hated her stammering, but though he had chastised her several times for it already, it just didn't go away.

"There was a fight at your middle school."

Hinata dropped her spoon, miso soup and all. "H-how d-did you kn…" Hinata stopped herself, and took a deep breath. _How_ he'd found out nearly as much as the fact that he knew _what_ had happened. "Yes, there was a f-fight."

"It's too dangerous for you to be at such a school, Hinata. If you got hurt…"

_The rest of the family will look down on us, _Hinata finished for him in her head. She put her hands in her lap and stared at her rice. "I-I've taken self-defense lessons. Remember? Y-you said I should t-take them to be safe. A-and it was only a l-little fight." She tried to sound confident, but the inevitable stammering and her lowered head did not give a strong impression.

Hyuuga Hiashi did not look satisfied with that answer. "I think you should transfer to the middle school that I discussed with you earlier."

"Otou-san, I… I t-told you m-m-my reasons for attending Konoha." If she went to her father's recommended Ki no Eda Middle School, it would be chock full of fellow Hyuuga children and her father's connections.

Full of people who hated her and knew her name.

Full of people who would judge her with those pale eyes.

She had enough of that everyday just by looking in the mirror.

But finally she had met some one who smiled at her.

"Konoha has no standing and it is too dangerous. Imagine if you were—"

"Otou-san!" Hinata was on her feet, her chair on its back on the floor and her fingers clutched the table cloth. She was shaking—from fear, and her own anger.

She turned her head and met the pale, vaguely wider than usual gaze of her father.

"This is _my_ choice," she whispered. The soft words were clear in the silent room.

Hanabi, her little sister who sat opposite her at the rectangular table, chose the moment to take a sip of soup.

Hinata picked up the napkin that had fallen to the floor from her lap, folded it messily and placed it lightly on the table. "Please excuse me," she murmured, and headed for the doorway that connected the dining room to the hallway that led to the stairs.

Just as her feet crossed the threshold, her father said, "Neji will transfer to your school next month."

Hinata nodded without turning around, and then she fled, feeling a rush of happiness choke her and bring tears to her eyes.

For the first time in her life, her father had let her have her way.

_She would be able to stay with Naruto-kun...!_

.

.

_thank you, God, if you are watching me_

.

Hanabi watched her sister run up the stairs. "Onee-san… she yelled in such a loud voice."

Hiashi still looked shocked. "That was the first time she ever stood up to me like," he said, mostly to himself.

Hanabi wondered if that was a ghost of a proud smile on her father's lips, or if it was a trick of the light.

Well, whatever. Her miso soup was getting cold.


	22. savior

[A/N] Well, this is the last installment of the NaruHina arc. Next chapter will bring us back to real SasuSaku, so please be patient~ NaruHina's important for the development of the characters in this story. But there's SS in this chapter too, esp. the end XD

Happy reading~

P.S. Warning—big stuff's coming up in the next few chapters. Be prepared for some drama, eh? Also, wow. Already 22 chaps! :D

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

22} savior

.

.

_did you know that sunlight corresponds to love?_

.

"Are they gonna mope forever?" Ino frowned, her cheek resting in the palm of her upturned hand, her elbow lazily pressed against the top of Sakura's desk. "Man, it's so awkward to watch."

Sakura didn't respond, but her green eyes flickered over to the pair Ino was referring to. Hinata and Naruto's seats happened to stand next to each other, and both looked mildly uncomfortable with their situated position. Hinata's face looked drained of any color, lidded eyes staring down at the tips of her fingers that lightly pressed against the nearest edge of the desk. Naruto was tapping his own fingers against his thighs and anxiously glancing over at her direction every so often, looking as if he had something to say but was too nervous to verbalize his thoughts.

Since the funeral anniversary, they had kept this strange, unnatural distance. What in the world had happened?

"They'll get over soon enough," a familiar voice said overhead. Sakura glanced up to see her vampire consort slide into his own seat beside them.

"Because she loves him, and he can't stand seeing anybody cry?" Sakura said, quoting his own words from a few days earlier.

"They'll make it work, like they've always done," Sasuke finished, and met her green gaze. Sakura just looked back at him and a moment of mutual understanding flitted between their eyes.

Ino broke in between them with a playful karate chop of her manicured hand. "That's true. Naruto always finds a way to fix things. But hey, speaking of _love_… Sasuke-kun, wanna go on a date with me today?"

He raised an eyebrow quizzically as turned his head towards the blonde. "Today's Monday."

"Mm, yeah. So what?"

"I have to go see Sakura at work today."

Ino scowled. "Oh, Sakura, Sakura, that's all you ever care about now. What about me? Don't you have the least bit of pity for me because I'm so lonely?"

"Don't you have Shikamaru?" Sasuke asked.

The blonde looked confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sasuke just gave her a blank stare and a slight shake of his head.

Ino blushed, knowing that Sasuke's look meant _You're so stupid_, but continued, "Anyway, so you don't wanna go on a date with me? Really?"

"…Have I ever?"

"Wow, that's harsh!" Ino laughed and sat up straight, dropping her arm from Sakura's desk. "And here I'd thought you'd somehow gotten gentler the past few days." She gave a pointed glance towards Sakura.

Sakura stared back, nonplussed.

Sasuke smirked. "Only towards one person."

"Favoritism," Ino sighed.

"At its worst," Sasuke agreed.

"At least this is better than how you were in middle school, being all emotional and vengeful. You were all like, _I have to kill that man _or whatever."

"I was the shit in middle school," he said with a shrug.

Ino grinned. "You thought you were. But I still thought it was cool. Somehow. And I still do. Even though you hang out with dorks like Naruto and Lee."

"They've both proven me wrong on several accounts," Sasuke replied. "I respect them."

As the last word left his mouth, the bell rang to signal the start of classes, and Ino waved a little goodbye before heading over to her own desk near the front.

"So you were like _what_ in middle school?" Sakura asked, vaguely curious. Well, really curious. From what Naruto had told her before, Uchiha Sasuke as a twelve-year-old had been incredibly dark and antagonistic towards the entire world, looking at everybody behind shielded eyes because of his paranoia about getting hurt.

And what was this about 'killing that man'?

"I was an emotionally unstable kid in middle school," Sasuke answered. "I hated the world and I thought I was superior to everything."

_You still think that way, _Sakura thought, only half-maliciously. "What did Ino mean about… killing that man?"

Sasuke's dark eyes turned cold and he looked away. "That… I don't want to talk about it." There was a small moment of silence.

Sakura felt her heart rate increase as she suddenly became nervous. Had she trodden into dangerous territory? But a question like that was sure to have a dark answer.

The number of thumping heartbeats in Sakura's chest increased as the tense silence dragged on.

Then Sasuke looked back at her, meeting her eyes, his expression melancholic but somehow gentle. It eased her distress. "It's… painful to remember. But I will tell you… eventually." He turned to look down at the wooden surface of the desk, his fingers curling into fists on top of it. "I hate admitting it, but I just don't have… I don't have the will to talk about it. Not yet."

His hands were trembling.

Sakura felt as if her chest had been pierced with some kind of painful, raw emotion. "It's okay," she said softly. "I'll wait for you." _Like you are doing for me._

The entrance of the homeroom teacher ended the moment and thus class began.

.

.

_but perhaps secrets aren't meant to be told_

.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto nervously looked down at her, a hand rubbing the back of his neck as he stood beside her desk. "Hey, um, do you have time today? Before work?"

Sakura briefly met his eyes, and immediately understood his silent plea. "Yeah. The roof?"

"Yeah," Naruto answered.

She glanced over at Sasuke. "Is that okay?" she called to him, who was getting up from his seat.

He looked at her, an eyebrow quirked. "It's just Naruto. I don't have a problem with it."

Naruto looked between them suspiciously. "Okay, you know, I've been thinking that since Sakura-chan cut her hair, something's _changed_ between you two."

They both just looked at him blankly.

The blond sighed. "Well… you guys seem, like, nicer to each other. Or something. Like, Sasuke's not all 'She's mine so don't touch her' and Sakura-chan's not always like 'I wouldn't be caught dead with that bastard'. You know?" Naruto turned to glare at Sasuke. "And lately Sakura-chan's been looking at_ you_ a whole lot with this worried expression—"

Sakura hurriedly grabbed her bag and the back of Naruto's sweater as she dragged him out of the classroom. "I'll see you later Sasuke-kun," she muttered.

"Bye, bastard!" Naruto said cheerfully with a wave.

Once they were halfway down the hallway towards the second staircase that Sakura knew her consort didn't normally use, Sakura released her vice-like grip on Naruto's sweater and let him walk properly. "You're so annoying," she growled, as she tugged the strap of her bag higher onto her shoulder.

"Sakura-chan, your face is red."

"Shut up."

"Surprisingly shy, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not."

"You're so cute." Naruto smiled.

"Not even."

"Then if I were Sasuke and said that, how would you feel?"

Sakura stopped midstep and glared at the boy grinning at her.

"Some food for thought, eh? Though I think I already know the answer." Naruto gave her shoulder a tap as he passed her. "But c'mon. I want to talk to you about some stuff."

Sakura's feet obediently began to move, following after the blond, but her mind was stuck.

_If Sasuke-kun had said that… how would I feel? What's Naruto trying to say? It's not as if—It's not as if I_ like _that bastard vampire._

_Because I'm… incapable of loving anyone._

.

.

…_right?_

.

It was true that since the "haircut" incident, something had certainly changed in their dynamic.

Sasuke walked slowly towards the apartment building. A few girls had tried to pick him up along the way, but he had ignored them completely, so lost in his thoughts he hardly noticed their presence at all.

_Okay, you know, I've been thinking that since Sakura-chan cut her hair, something's _changed_ between you two…_

Sasuke agreed, something had changed—but _what_ exactly had changed?

He'd realized after Ami's group had gone after Sakura that it wasn't just vampires that wanted to hurt her… Humans might as well. He hadn't even considered the idea of humans being a threat, so paranoid was he about more vampire attacks. Sakura wasn't safe.

And he was, admittedly, worried. Tayuya's group might have killed the both of them if he hadn't relied on the curse seal… and if he had to continue to use it, he'd have to eventually compromise his sanity. The evilness of the strange tattoo on the back of his neck, hidden under his hair, wasn't something he could wield as a weapon often.

Furthermore, Haruno Sakura was… 'fragile'. She was still thin, (though recently she seemed to be filling out slightly, just enough that her knee-high uniform socks did not fall down as often and that her cheeks didn't look quite so bony as they had), and the haircutting incident had made him realize how breakable she really was.

The image of her crying and shaking, her palm running blood with the scissors still clasped under her fingers—that would remain a stamped memory in his mind forever.

Since then—_that's right_—it was since then that somehow he had changed.

Somehow he felt as if he had to treat that fragile girl gently.

Somehow she was making him forget about the deprecating reason he was even still alive.

Somehow he wanted to protect her and this new life together they had created.

But those changes could start killing him from the inside.

.

.

_slowly, you are killing me_

.

"I'm jealous, you know."

"Huh?"

"Of you and that bastard. How close you two are."

Sakura looked away. "Are you comparing us to your own situation?"

In the corner of her eye, she saw Naruto's smiling expression morph into a frown. "Sakura-chan… if you have a precious friend, who always just smiles and smiles and forgives you and everybody for everything they've ever done, so much that you almost can't stand how good of a person she is—so much that once you thought you hated her, because you were so damn jealous—if such a person asked you to keep a distance from her… how are you supposed to respond?"

_You know, I decided I like him too. So, Ino-chan…_

Sakura gazed up at the sky. The clouds moved slowly, fluffy and sweet, across the expansion of dazzling blue, so similar to the eyes of the boy who sat up next to her sprawled body on the ground. "If she's precious to you… then you have to let her know that."

_We're friends. Aren't we?_

_We ended our friendship years ago—_

_That was _you_! You suddenly decided we weren't friends anymore, just because of a stupid boy—was our friendship so meaningless to you? I seriously cared so much about you, and you just threw it away over some guy! I would've gladly given him up for you, my crush wasn't even that serious!_

Sakura covered her eyes with her arm. "And I'm sure… she has her own reasons to ask to keep a distance."

_Ugh, that Yamanaka is sooo annoying! All she does is take care of that stupid Sakura girl._

_Hey, want to beat her up?_

_Yeah, let's do it. I'm bored anyway._

"So you should ask her… to explain her reasons properly."

_Ino-chan… where did you get those bruises?_

_Don't worry about it, Sakura. I suddenly got really clumsy like you and fell down the stairs a little._

_N-nobody pushed you, right?_

_Eh… Wha—? Ha! 'Course not. As if anybody could pull something off like that on me. Like I said, don't worry about it._

"…Because misunderstandings are the worst."

_You know, I decided I like him too. And I'm gonna fight for him. So, Ino-chan, this is goodbye. From now on, we're rivals._

_Sakura… Sakura, why…?_

_Bye, Ino._

_Sakura, _why? _Tell me why!_

"Yeah," Naruto said, his voice quiet. "You're right. But it's… scary. I don't want to get rejected."

"Mm."

_I had my reasons._

.

.

_because goodbye's are painful_

.

"We're gonna be late for roll call…"

His tongue licked the rest of the blood off her throat. "No, we won't," he murmured, his breath hot against her skin. "Give me the bandaid, I'll stick it on you."

She handed it to him and he quickly ripped the packaging off and placed it over the small bite marks on her neck."

"You have blood on your chin," Sakura said, and reached up to wipe it off. She used her thumb to rid his pale skin of the scarlet.

"That's your own blood, you know."

She shrugged at his comment, and prepared to wipe the blood off on her handkerchief. With a smirk, Sasuke grabbed her hand before she could reach for the cloth in her pocket, and inserted the tip of her thumb into his mouth, riding his tongue over it. A little fascinated, Sakura watched him curiously.

Somehow, the image of him licking her thumb was a little bit… erotic.

Sakura suddenly felt a little too warm.

"Let's go," he said, lifting his head from her thumb and effectively shocking Sakura from—from whatever that trance had been. He let go of her hand and headed over to homeroom.

Sakura decided not to think about what had just occurred and followed him.

The first thing Sakura and Sasuke saw as they approached the classroom was their best friend bolt out of it in an impressive sprint.

"Forgot my homework~" he called to them in explanation with a laugh, and sped off.

"Oi, Uzumaki! Class is about to start!" the homeroom teacher yelled, having arrived just as the blond dashed around him and down the hallway. He shook his head and sighed heavily, then looked at Hinata, who was sitting quietly in her seat. "Hyuuga-san, you're the class rep, so can you go and get him back?"

The girl's expression was almost comical at how incredibly frightened it was. "Y-yes, of course…" She started off unsteadily after the blond, her lips contorted into a messy line of worry.

"I think their confrontation's gonna be now," Sasuke said softly into Sakura's ear. "Naruto's been planning on talking to her since yesterday."

"Did he say that?"

"Yeah."

"…You don't think he planned on this from the beginning, right?"

"Forgetting his homework so Hinata would be asked to chase after him? Who knows." Sasuke entered the classroom and headed to his seat, and Sakura followed after him. "Ah…" He glanced back at her with a smirk. "But he did use to be a prankster."

.

.

_he was more than just that, though_

.

To be honest, she didn't really want to find him... She was so embarrassed. Keep a distance? Why had she said that when she hadn't wanted it?

But this guilt in her chest was painful, too.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata glanced around nervously. She was sure she'd seen him run up the stairs, but… The school roof certainly seemed empty. She turned to leave—

And was assaulted from behind without warning.

"Gyak!" she shrieked inelegantly, and glanced behind herself to see a grinning Uzumaki Naruto, his arms wrapped tightly around her stomach.

"Hinata!" he said, his voice urgent. "I have something I really, really need to tell you, so please listen."

"Um—sensei—class—late—" Their proximity left her inarticulate.

"It'll be short, I promise. And you can just blame me if sensei gets mad."

"N-Naruto-kun—arms—wah—"

"Oh, sorry." He let go of her. "Well, um…" He scratched the back of his head. "Sit with me?" He cocked his head, gesturing to the far end of the roof.

She hesitated only a moment, still blushing furiously from their intimate contact—_he'd hugged her!—_and followed him over to the edge, where the concrete stuck out in such a way it made a wall-long bench.

"So um… I'm just gonna say it," Naruto began, as soon as she'd sat down beside him, a few appropriate inches separating them. His hands were sprawled over the white concrete, but she kept hers in her lap.

Any more physical contact and she'd surely explode from happiness.

"The thing is—The—the thing is, well… um…" He reached up and started flailing his hands in his hair. "Aw, man! So uncool! I'm like, really nervous!"

Hinata couldn't smother the amused smile playing on her lips. Naruto was always so funny. "It's okay… if you're nervous. I'll still listen."

"Well—just—I don't want to keep this distance between us anymore!" he blurted, the words coming out in a rush. He dropped his hands and then leaned towards her, his face perilously close. "You're… really important to me, Hinata."

If she were able to look in a mirror right then, Hinata would have seen her face rapidly obtain a shade of bright, tomato red.

"Actually, you see, my feelings toward you—I have to confess this—so listen, okay?"

She nodded, shocked.

_Wait, what?_

The anticipation began building.

_Confess?_

_Feelings toward you…?_

Her heart was beating awfully fast.

_Could Naruto-kun…?_

_Could he possibly…?_

So much that it was nearly painful.

_Possibly…!_

_Could he…!_

"—I want to be friends!"

Hinata stared into his wide blue eyes. They were pleading, and hopeful, and so many other emotions that Hinata couldn't put a name to.

But attraction was not one of them.

With that, she burst out into unabashed laughter.

The blond's expression became confused. "I've never heard you laugh like that before…" Naruto murmured, looking at her with both awe and surprise.

_Ah, I'm so stupid_…_ I guess I really just like him so much I can't help but hope_. Once Hinata had calmed down enough to talk, she asked, "Naruto-kun, can I confess something myself?"

He blinked a few times. "Uh, sure."

She smiled, and hooked her fingers onto the metal wire fence. She gazed out at the various sprawl of buildings and trees. "I've… always admired you. You were always smiling, and you wouldn't look at me from above. You looked _up_ at me. And then I thought… I wanted… to be your strength." She giggled. "It sounds so… dumb when I say it out loud. But at the time, I really did think this. And actually, I think I still do." She dropped her fingers from the fence, and then looked at him earnestly. "Naruto-kun… is that okay?" She tilted her head slightly, and the short black hair on the back of her neck rubbed against the sensitive skin there. Her cheeks were a faint pink. "I'm… I can't be like Sakura-chan… I'm just me… and my mother… killed your parents. This is… this isn't something we can forget. But I want to be… your friend. I want to support you."

He nodded seriously. "I want you in my life," he said. "You, Hyuuga Hinata. So what if you're not like Sakura-chan? You're you, you're special in the way only you can be." He grinned. "And what our parents did… what does that matter to us? We are who we are. And I want to be the lucky guy—," he gestured to himself, "—that has this great girl—," he turned his hand to her, palm upwards toward the sky, "—for a friend he can depend forever on." His eyes grew soft. "What do you say?"

She gazed at his proffered hand. "Can you really forgive me?" she whispered.

He looked a bit bewildered at that comment, and then nodded. "It's not a matter of forgiveness," he said. "It's whether you can accept me as I am. I accept you, everything—the past, your mother. Everything. So accept me, too."

Slowly, Hinata reached her hand out, hesitant. Once her hands pressed into his, he gripped her hand tightly.

His hand was so warm.

And his fingers were so soft.

"Hey, Hinata… Can I hug you?" Naruto asked, and without waiting for an answer, he pulled her towards him.

With the warmth of Naruto's chest and slender arms encompassing her slight frame, Hinata wondered if she had ever experienced such a deep feeling of joy in her life.

She closed her eyes and decided to enjoy this moment.

_Your smile saved me, Naruto-kun._

.

.

_thank you_

.

"It's snowing," Sakura murmured, and sighed at the falling swirls of white. "Why is it snowing in October?" She hated the snow; it reminded her of too many painful things. Why the hell did the sky decide they needed snow so early?

Stupid, whimsical clouds.

_Ah—I need to visit Okaa-san's grave._

"This kind will melt right away, it won't last," said the boy walking beside her. "But is snow such a bad thing? You look depressed."

"I just hate the cold weather," she said automatically.

Sasuke's sidelong glance was stoic. "Don't you trust me enough to tell me the truth?"

He'd completely seen through her. Sakura looked away, embarrassed, and admitted, "My mother… died in the winter. I just really don't have any good memories of this season." Sakura stuffed her hands in her pockets. "The snow makes me feel sick."

His eyes turned downcast, and then he reached for her. He took a piece of her hair between his fingers, and then yanked—hard.

"Hey!" she yelled, and turned back to him with a frown. "That hurts!"

"Take me with you."

"…Huh?"

"I want to visit your mother." He dropped his hand. "Take me with you when you go visit her this winter."

Sakura looked up to meet his black eyes, hesitant.

He smirked.

"…Okay," she said.

"OI, YOU GUYS!" Naruto shouted, much farther down the road than they were, interrupting them before Sasuke could give a reply. The rest of the Konoha 11 were already so far ahead that they weren't in sight anymore. "Let's get going! I want my ramen now, I'm starving! Man. So slow! C'mon, Hinata, let's go ahead."

The pale girl smiled shyly, but followed his lead.

"Let's walk slower on purpose," Sasuke said with a smirk. "We're already this far behind the rest of them, anyway."

"Is this your way of giving Naruto a birthday present by leaving him alone with Hinata? Your idea of this 'Ramen Party' is already good enough for him." Sakura shook her head. "Or are you giving Hinata an opportunity?"

He chuckled and slipped an arm around Sakura's waist. "I'm not that considerate. It's more like, I'm giving ourselves some private love time?"

As expected, Sakura took her two hands and pushed him off to the side in response. "Dumbass," she said.

He laughed, catching his footing within seconds. "You push me away, but you're smiling. What's up with that?"

Sakura covered her mouth with the sleeve of her cardigan, and looked away. "Whatever."

"Haha," he laughed, "you're so cute."

Sakura carefully kept her face covered and her gaze averted.

Her face felt unnaturally hot.

_Then if I were Sasuke and said that, how would you feel? _Naruto's words reverberated in her mind.

The answer to that—She'd never, ever tell.


	23. date

[A/N] The Seiyuu cast list for the new anime project "K" has been revealed and I am_ bawling_ with happiness. **Fukuyama Jun **(*dies*), Namikawa Daisuke (GAHHH!), Ono Daisuke (*hyperventiliating*), Tomokazu Sugita (YES.), **Nakamura Yuuichi **(*dies again*), Miyano Mamoru (*cartwheels*). THEY'RE SRSLY LIKE MY MOST FAVORITEST SEIYUU EVERRRR THEIR VOICES MAKE ME GO AA~N AND JUSTLUFFMEpl0x AND urvoicesmakemeheargasm...andilikeit~

Ahem. Well. Here is a new chapter. (SORRY I NEED TO GO FANGIRL SOME MORE I WILL WRITE A BETTER A/N NEXT TIME I PROMISE.) Happy reading~

P.S. 20,000 yen is more or less around $200 (probs quite a bit more right now, more like $250?). Also, the inspiration for that train scene came from "Promise You" by Tomohisa (aka Shounen-T)! Please listen to it if you can :D

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

23} date

.

.

_can't you depend on me just a little bit?_

.

"Hey, Sakura—whoa, c'mon, why are you looking at me like that?" His expression remained friendly, until he caught notice of his cellphone clutched between her trembling hands. Then his bright smile (the smile she'd believed in, the smile she'd trusted, the smile she'd depended on to live) faded into a scowl.

"You lied," she said, green eyes dull as she stared at him. "You lied about everything. From the start."

He'd been the epitome of a 'nice guy'. He'd played the part perfectly, earning her trust, making her believe in him, saying things she wanted to hear: _I'll be here for you. I love you, you know I'll never leave you. Sakura, you're important to me. You're special in the way only you can be…_ She'd been weak, and she'd leaned on him without suspecting a thing, so desperate had she been for somebody, _anybody_, to help alleviate her pain and loneliness.

Looking at him now, with that cold gaze—so distant, so patronizing, _just like everybody else_—everything about his person reeked of dirty intent and selfishness. Somehow she hadn't noticed how foul he was really was.

_This_ was his true self?

_This_ was what he'd been hiding?

_This_ disgusting creature had taken all her 'firsts'?

"Yeah, so what? I lied, big deal." He walked over to her and grabbed his cellphone out of her hands. The message was still on the touch screen: _Hey, you fuck that pink-haired chick yet? Gotta send us that photo, or you don't get the twenty thousand!_

She'd deleted the mortifying photo (that he must have taken while she was asleep and oblivious), of course, but it for some reason just looking at that tell-tale message had made her shake enough that she couldn't summon the power to press DELETE and OKAY.

It was the proof of his betrayal, after all.

She pressed her fists against the floor. "I… trusted you," she said.

He looked down at her, his eyes cold.

"I gave you _everything_—"

Without a word, he began to gather his things, taking his backpack off his shoulders and throwing into it everything he'd left around her apartment over the course of their 'relationship', if that was what it could be called. His things comprised of only a few pairs of clothing, lying clean and folded in the corner, and the baseball they'd played catch with just the other day.

"—and you did it only because you wanted twenty thousand yen?"

He zipped his backpack closed and slipped his cellphone into the pocket of his jeans.

"In the end, I'm only worth twenty thousand yen?"

She did not look up from the floor, even as his footsteps became distant as he headed for the door.

"Should've gotten a million at least, you goddamn asshole!"

The front door creaked open.

"_I thought I fucking loved you!_"

It slammed shut behind him, without remorse or hesitation, effectively cutting off their already severed bond.

Then, in a whisper: "I thought I… loved you."

But once again, despite that willingness to try and love again, despite her trust in him, she was left behind. She was always left behind. Abandoned.

Father left. Mother left. Now Senpai left.

When his cellphone had beeped, she hadn't meant to look at the message. But it popped up on the screen by itself. She knew right away it referred to her; nobody else had pink hair. She'd discovered the photo in the more hidden folders of his phone picture albums, deleted it. But she had wondered if she ought to have pretended not to have seen it, ought to carried out this "love" as long as she could, because it was all she had. Yet undoubtedly, he would eventually leave her anyway. She would be better off by destroying that relationship before she fell even deeper deep.

She remained there on the floor, kneeling, her forehead pressed against the hard surface floor between her trembling fists. Her tears were thick and messy as they trickled down her cheeks to her chin and dripped onto the floor, making two puddles of salty water that would soon combine.

"Definitely—definitely—I will _never_ love anybody again!"

Just outside, on the other side of the window, the snow was heavy and blindingly white.

.

.

_ah… I'd almost forgotten that men lie_

.

Sakura woke up screaming.

Panting, she lied there, trying to get her bearings. She was in her futon on the floor, and she was covered in sweat. She kicked off the thick blanket and ran her hand through her fringe, pulling it back to leave her forehead exposed.

"Dammit," she muttered, "I remembered that shitty guy."

"Better not be talking about me," said a deep voice.

Sakura jolted into an upright position to see Uchiha Sasuke, of all people, sitting in her kitchen. His arms rested slightly crossed over each other on her low table as he watched her with that dark gaze she couldn't ever fully interpret.

"…What are you doing here?" she asked him weakly.

"Well, it's Saturday, so I was wondering if you were going to go grocery shopping or not. It's already noon."

"Eh—?"

He pointed unceremoniously to the clock hanging on the wall over her head. She glanced up at it and surely enough, it was already 12:17 PM. But her late wake-up call didn't matter right now. First, she needed to wipe that smirk off his face. "You snuck into my apartment?" Sakura asked accusingly, shooting dirty glances his way as she began folding her futon.

"Your door was open," was his unabashed explanation. He eyed the heavy covers. "Want some help with that?"

"No, thanks," she replied bitterly.

"By the way, your pajamas are totally _not _sexy."

Sakura cast a brief look at her baggy t-shirt and gray cotton shorts before continuing to fold the thick blanket in her hands. "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"I'm just letting you know." His dark eyes glimmered. "Keep at it like that, and you'll end up alone forever."

She turned her back to him. "I didn't ask for your advice, either," she said, a little quieter. With the last of the blankets folded, she stacked them on top of each other and carried them to the closet.

He walked over and opened the closet door for her. "Well, you have me, I guess," he said, tilting his head.

Sakura pushed the blankets onto the second shelf. "Like that would make anybody happy."

"Several, actually. You're just being stubborn."

The corner of her lip pulled down. "I'm just being honest."

"Of course you are."

Sakura chose to ignore the sarcasm in his words and not give a reply. He shut the closet door for her before turning back and giving her his full, unadulterated attention. She glared back frankly. After about thirty seconds of this staring contest, he finally asked, "Anyway, are we going grocery shopping or not?"

Sakura blinked. "Why do you want to go grocery shopping so bad?"

"I don't particularly want to go grocery shopping," he said. Dark eyes glimmered mischievously. "I actually have a plan for us today."

"…It's not something retarded like a _date_, right?"

He smirked. "How'd you know?"

Turning her back to him, her reply was immediate: "I don't want to."

"Scared?"

She shot a fierce glance his way, the green eyes daggers. "Why would I be scared?"

"You tell me," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm not the one who wakes up screaming."

"I just… had a nightmare."

"Was it about a boy?"

"That's—none of your business!" She turned to try and escape that focus, sharp black gaze.

He caught her wrist in his hand. "Was it about your father?" he asked, his voice quiet.

Sakura tried to wrench her arm free to no avail. "No—"

"Sakura, did your father ever—"

"I said it's none of your goddamn business!"

He let her go, then, and she rubbed her wrist, facing the wall.

"You're not ready," he said quietly. "Go shower and get dressed. I'll pick you up in ten minutes."

She heard him leave as she stayed frozen by the wall. Only once she heard the door shut, Sakura allowed her body to move and she fell to the floor onto her knees, all her energy suddenly taking a run for it.

'_You're not ready'… did he mean ready to tell him about my past or ready to go out?_

_And why did he sound like… he was hurt?_

"I feel like the villain," Sakura murmured, and felt her eyes grow wet.

_That's not fair, Sasuke-kun._

.

.

_it's really not fair_

.

"Can't you dress a bit more cutely?" he asked.

Sakura scowled. These were probably the nicest clothes she had. So sure, she wasn't in a flouncy, lacy dress and stilettos, but she thought her long gray cardigan, fitted v-neck white t-shirt, and blue-black skinny jeans looked pretty nice. Compared to what she usually wore, anyway. At least she'd made sure her hair look somewhat presentable by flattening most strayaways (there wasn't much you could do with chin-length hair).

"Well, it's better than what you usually wear, anyway," he sighed. Sakura blinked a few times; once again, they'd been thinking in sync. "Well, put your shoes on and let's get going."

Sakura slid her feet into her black Vans. "You don't look all that amazing, either," she said viciously. It was something of a lie, though. Uchiha Sasuke looked just as good in casual clothes as he would in a suit or even his school uniform: inhumanly godlike. He was wearing the same outfit he'd been wearing earlier upon intruding her kitchen: a black coat, a loose navy t-shirt, and beige-colored pants with various zippers all over the legs. His feet were covered by thick, black sneakers.

He looked back at her with a tired expression. "Why would I get dressed up when I know you wouldn't?"

That was true. Sakura flicked him a dark glare as she stood up and followed him outside.

He made his way through a complex route full of turns that Sakura wasn't familiar with at all. After walking for about half an hour, and still completely lost, she decided she needed some information. "Where are we going?" she asked suspiciously, as he walked about two steps ahead of her. Still, she let him lead, though growing increasingly more confused.

"Downtown. Since we live in the rural-suburb area, this is a good chance for you to explore the city."

"Is there a specific place we're heading towards or do you just plan to do anything that catches your eye?"

"Both, I guess," he said. He abruptly stopped, and then reached for Sakura's arm. His hand gripped hold on her forearm and he pulled her towards him. "Walk _with_ me, not behind me," he said. "I don't want you to get lost, now."

"I used to live in the city," Sakura protested.

"Doesn't mean you're familiar with this side, though."

"…Whatever." That was true—she'd originally lived in the west side. How was he so good at remembering these sorts of things?

They approached the biggest street of their suburb area, and Sasuke waved to a taxi. It pulled up to them. "Get in," Sasuke said, as he opened the door for her.

"You're like a butler," Sakura muttered, as she slid inside.

"Only for my princess," he replied playfully, as he climbed in beside her. "Take us to Sennin Street, please."

"Yes, sir," said the taxi driver. He was a friendly, conversational type. "Are you two on a date?"

Sakura immediately opened her mouth to protest. "Of course n—" A long, pale finger against her lips stopped her.

"Yes, that's right," Sasuke answered with a pleasant (but atrociously fake) smile. "This is our second one ever."

Sakura pulled his hand away from her mouth. "When did we ever have a first one?"

"When we went grocery shopping together the first time," he said, and settled for wrapping his arm around Sakura's shoulder.

She didn't bother trying to pull his arm away. "You think _that's_ a date?"

"When I'm with you, that's about the most you can handle."

"…What are you trying to imply?"

"The things I've done with most girls would leave you panting and scared."

The taxi driver laughed.

"You player," Sakura said vehemently.

"Not anymore."

"Oh, really?"

"Not since I chose you."

"_You_ never chose me, I'm the one who asked you to…" Sakura realized her words seemed to be saying something other than what she meant. "You know what I mean," she finished lamely.

"Ah, you haven't fallen for me yet?"

"…As if."

Sasuke laughed. Then he leaned in, gentle heat radiating off of him, and whispered into her ear, "Stubborn. But that's what makes you cute."

He pulled away and began a light conversation with the taxi driver before Sakura could ask what he meant or give a sharp comeback. So Sakura stared at his back, his unkempt hair, and the little exposed bit of pale, creamy white neck of his neck above the collar of his black coat.

Sakura turned to face the window, and was shocked to see her reflected expression.

…_Huh? Why am do I look so happy?_

.

.

_I probably should've done something about it then_

.

"So… you did all of this just so you could take me to McDonalds?" Sakura stared up at the yellow arcs with some surprise. The last time she'd been to McD's… she had no recollection. Must have been years ago.

"Pretty much," he drawled.

"_Why?_"

Sasuke shrugged, and led the way inside. "I sort of made a promise to myself to take you out one day and feed you some fat."

"When...?"

"It was back when those girls chopped off your hair." He glanced back her worriedly. "I thought you felt too skinny and decided I should get you a big fat cheeseburger."

"I'm not skinny," Sakura muttered.

"You know you are, so shut up and let me feed you."

"I don't have money—"

He slapped his hands onto her cheeks and kept them there. "I said, let me feed you." He pinched her cheeks and grinned. "Ohh, you look funny like this." He then proceeded to push her cheeks together, forcing her mouth to form fishy lips. "How kissable," he joked.

Sakura was not amused. Rather, she was embarrassed; their antics were being witnessed by everybody in line or eating their food on the first floor. "Weh gwo owf mwe!" She grabbed at his wrists and pulled his hands away.

He laughed. "Go upstairs. I'll order the food and bring it up."

"Fine." Sakura rubbed her cheeks, which had each gained a bright red spot, and headed upstairs obediently. She chose a two-person table by the window that would be easily noticed when Sasuke joined her.

She took advantage of her time alone and put her head on the table, her arms sprawled out on either side. She breathed out slowly. "He's such an idiot," Sakura whispered.

There was something dangerous about being with him. Not that he was a vampire—though those hungry, red eyes certainly still frightened her—but her heartrate sped up a bit and she knew that there was something wrong about it.

Men lied. They all lied. She'd been betrayed already by the two most important people to her. The father who had always said he loved her, but abandoned her when she was fourteen. The high school student who had seemed so mature and understanding, who had saved her from her depression when her mother died. He'd stolen all her 'firsts' for twenty thousand yen and lied from the very start.

She knew it was a fact: men lied.

Uchiha Sasuke was a man.

But for some reason, Sakura was starting to trust him.

"You sleeping?"

Sakura lifted her head up to see the dark, vaguely entertained eyes of the very vampire she'd been thinking about. "No," she said.

He set the tray down. It had two sets of cheeseburgers, medium fries, and drinks. "Do you like soda?" he asked.

"Not really."

"Huh. I don't either." He then bent down and suddenly pressed his lips to hers. It was a brief, chaste kiss, lasting only about three seconds.

Sakura stared at him as he pulled away and sat down, confused and surprised. "...Why...did you do that?"

"Better to kiss you now than after you've eaten," he said casually. "I'd rather not taste chunks of burger in your mouth."

"No, why did you kiss me at all?" Her green eyes were flaming.

He held his chin up with his palm, his upright elbow resting on the table. "I just thought that I haven't kissed you in a while."

"Why would you kiss me…" She slipped her hands under the table, trying to hide her shaking. "…when you know I hate it so much?" _When you know I hate men so much?_

"Because I like kissing you," he said, and began unwrapping his burger.

"You're such a bastard!"

"Better a bastard than a liar, hm?" He took a bite. "Ugh. Too salty."

Sakura wasn't listening to his complaints; she stood stock still in her seat, feeling as if her mind were about to tear apart. He was right. Uchiha Sasuke had never lied to her. This was what frightened her so much about him.

"Sakura, eat." The vampire pinched her nose, bringing her attention back to the present.

"Huh?"

"Eat your burger." He pointed to it.

Sakura looked at it morosely.

"If you don't, it'll be waste, since I certainly don't want it," he said.

Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and reached for the burger—_I shouldn't, I can't_—and unwrapped the oily yellow packaging. Tentatively, she took a bite of the cheeseburger.

It was a little sweet. And at the same time, it was strangely bitter.

Surely, he would betray her, just like everybody else. Just because he hadn't lied yet didn't mean he couldn't and wouldn't in the future. That, too, was simply another fact.

And yet.

_I'm starting to trust him. I _want_ to trust him._

_Maybe I'm even..._

.

.

_men lie, Sakura_

.

He was so whimsical, dragging her with him anywhere that caught his interest.

"Let's go in there next." He caught hold of her hand and pulled him along with him. Sakura glanced around the shop and realized it was a fairly large accessory shop. Several girls were standing around, and cast furtive and jealous glances over their way, many of them watching as the handsome dark-haired boy, whose hand tightly gripped Sakura's, led her over to where several hairpins and ribbons were situated.

He didn't seem aware of their stares as he reached for a simple, light pink cherry blossom on a white clip. The cloth flower was small, about the size of a 100 yen coin. "Whoa, it's perfect," he said, holding it up momentarily against her hair. "I'm buying it for you."

It took a moment for his words to register in her brain. "W-wait, Sasuke-kun—"

He was already at the cashier. After handing a few coins to the lady, he trodded back and took hold of her bangs. He twirled them slightly and pinned them with the hairclip on the top right side of her head.

"Very cute," he said, stepping back slightly to admire his work. "Sakura suits Sakura, after all."

"I don't wear hairpins," Sakura said, feeling embarrassed.

"It's not like there's much else you can do with that short hair of yours." He ran some of it between his thumb and forefinger. "Grow it out again."

"I was already planning on doing that," Sakura said, not meeting his eyes.

She didn't turn around, but she knew he was smirking. "Good," he said, and that was that.

.

.

_this is too dangerous_

.

They took the train home. It was already nine-thirty, and Sakura was clearly exhausted, so Sasuke wasn't that surprised when she fell asleep. Her head leaned on his shoulder, oblivious to reality; Sasuke knew she'd be absolutely mortified if she knew what she was doing right now.

He'd _definitely_ have to tease her about it later.

He couldn't suppress a small chuckle as something white-pink caught his sight: the clip was still in her hair. Sakura always pretended to be strong and hid her feelings, but in the end, they were so transparent to him.

_She's so interesting._

He closed his eyes and smiled. She had been completely embarrassed when he'd put the clip in her hair, hiding her happiness and embarrassment by turning away. Until recently, he'd never really thought of her as 'cute'—more along the lines of annoyingly tenacious, on the brusque side, and kind of pretty—but somehow lately she seemed to actually blush and smile shyly. Of course, she always had something biting ready to be said, but the few moments of sincerity he saw in her were surprising and he rather enjoyed discovering her hidden sides.

Yep. Sakura was cute.

And that wasn't okay.

"Don't fall in love with me, Sakura," he whispered, and pressed his fingertips against her cheek. She was so soft, so thin. Irreparably breakable. Breakably human. "Because I can't make you happy."

Humanly impossible.

He leaned his head on top of hers and closed his eyes. Just for now, he prayed to no one in particular, let him be. Let him forget everything. Forget that easygoing times like this would soon be nonexistent to him. Forget that he was a monster, forget that in a year and a half his existence would disappear. Forget that Sakura was a human, and he was a vampire, and that he would soon have to abandon her because of that unchangeable difference between them.

Just for now, he would forget. Because this casual moment, he realized, was actually a moment of happiness.


	24. confession

[A/N] YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS.

Happy reading~! Yay for more drama XD

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><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

24} confession

.

.

_admitting the truth to yourself can be the most painful_

_._

A normal girl would have felt marginalized at the fact that their life-long vampire consort had never said "I love you" or "You're important to me." Clearly, Haruno Sakura wasn't normal, because such a thing made her feel calmer.

Never once had Sasuke told her false words of love. He was blunt, frank, and straight-forward. The Uchiha vampire was somebody Sakura felt secure around, exactly_ because_ he was blunt, frank, and straight-forward. He didn't lie. But if he were ever to tell Sakura he loved her—somehow, she _knew_, instinctively, that those words would bring about the end to something important. They equaled a danger zone.

"I love you, Sakura." Any person that had told her that had disappeared from her life in some way. And, pitiful though it certainly was, Sakura wanted to cling to this newfound relationship for just a tiny bit longer. Trust was such a beautiful thing, and finally, once more, she was beginning to experience it in the depths of her heart.

Could she trust that Sasuke wouldn't leave her?

Could she trust _him_?

.

.

_you can never truly know what the other person is thinking_

.

_Knock knock._

Sasuke strolled out of his room clad in a loose white t-shirt and navy sweatpants, fresh out of the shower. With one hand rubbing his dripping hair dry with a small towel, he wondered who it could be—_Sakura?_—as he headed to the door and opened it.

Standing before him was a casually slouching, tall man, a black turtleneck covering the bottom half of his face and outlining his impressive frame. Broad shoulders tapered down to a slender waist, and two thin belts rested low on slim hips; his capable hands rested below them in the pockets of his gray jeans. An uneven and unkempt mop of silver hair covered his left eye, and the right gazed down familiarly at the half-dressed boy with solemnity.

"Sasuke," he said, sliding a hand out of his pocket and raising it lazily in greeting. "'Evening."

The Uchiha stared at the older man for a silent moment, appraising. Then, quietly, "You're late as usual… Kakashi."

.

.

_I suppose you could say this is when our real story began_

.

"Sasuke-kun seems kind of out of it today, doesn't he?" Ino remarked, frowning. "I wonder if something happened?"

"It's probably nothing important," Sakura said, but she also felt worry building up in her stomach. She pressed her fingertips against the white fabric of her oxford shirt, on a spot above her belly button.

He'd picked her up in the morning, as usual, but their walk to school had been miraculously insult-free. ("You're not wearing that clip I bought you, huh?" he'd asked, and she'd replied rather hastily, "...I can't wear such an embarrassing thing." He'd just shrugged his shoulders instead of teasing her further.) Uchiha Sasuke was always on top of things, always had something to say; when his dark gaze was as dazed as it currently was, it couldn't mean anything good.

…In other words, whatever was on his mind was probably something to do with vampires, and Sakura wasn't sure whether she should demand information from him or not. Vampires lived in a completely different world from humans, after all. Humans shouldn't meddle in things that don't concern them.

At least, that's what Sasuke seemed to believe. So of course he wouldn't confide in her.

"You're as cold as ever," Ino said, with an easy smile. "Why don't you knock off the I-don't-care act and just worry about him openly?"

Sakura frowned. "He's not worth worrying about." She was trying to convince herself, but her heart knew she was lying, just as Ino could tell.

"Suuuure he's not. It's not like he's the most popular guy in Konoha or anything." Ino started to roll her eyes, then abruptly stopped as she remembered something. "Oh, by the way, Tenten was wondering if you wanted to come shopping sometime? It's Lee's birthday soon, so—"

"Ino, Sakura-chan, good morning!" Talkative Blond #2 came practically _skipping _in, wearing a big grin.

"Well, aren't you excited at such an early hour?" Ino said sarcastically. "Something good happen?"

"Yeah, Jiraiya called and turns out he'll be able to visit me for a few days over winter break!" he answered brightly, throwing a fist in the air.

"Winter break's really soon, isn't it…?" Sakura wondered aloud. It was already halfway through November, and the temperature lately was taking a nosedive.

"I can't wait," Naruto guffawed. "I'm so sick of school."

Ino shook her head. "You know we have exams coming, don't you?"

"…Eh?"

"Exams. If you fail, you have to take the makeup test and take extra lessons over winter break, too."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "I… I totally forgot," he admitted. "I'll just get Shikamaru to teach me, I guess."

Ino's expression soured. "No way! Shika's gonna be teaching _me_."

"Hey, you're not stupid like me! I need all the help I can get!" The Uzumaki sulked.

"Oh, yeah right!" Ino sneered. "As if somebody as busy as me has time to study!"

"What do _you_ do? You just help out in your family's flower shop!"

"I don't see you having anything that keeps you busy, either, dumbass."

"Yeah? Sorry for being a dumb blond, huh?"

"Hey! That's not—"

Large, pale hands slapped over both the blonds' mouths. "Shut _up _already," said a vaguely irritated, deep voice. "I could hear you all the way out in the hallway."

Ino pried away his hand and gripped it with both of hers. "Sasuke-kun!" she greeted the vampire excitedly.

Naruto's response was less friendly. "Yer bathurd!" he yelled, still muffled by Sasuke's fingers.

With a frown, Sasuke removed his hand and wiped it on the blond's shoulder, leaving a visible wet mark against the white cloth. "I see why Akamaru likes you so much. You both slobber."

"Don't compare me to that Kiba-idiot's dog!" Naruto retorted, scowling.

"There's nothing wrong with comparing a dog to a dog," Sasuke said, then turned and gave Sakura, who sat meekly at her desk rubbing her temples, a teasing smirk. "How's my princess this morning?"

"Fine." Shouldn't she be asking him that question? (Though he wasn't a princess, not at all.) He sounded so casual, like nothing was wrong.

"How cold," was all he said.

But he if wanted to act like nothing had happened, then fine. Her worries were just making her energy go to waste. "Well, it's November," she said, green eyes flickering towards the window. A brilliant array of red, orange, and golden leaves swirled around in the air and decorated the ground in their decaying beauty.

Sasuke chuckled. "That's one way of putting it."

"Ne, Sasuke-kun," Ino said, budging her way into the conversation as per usual, "you looked really pale this morning. Did something happen?"

Though she carefully kept her expression disinterested, Sakura's ears perked up at this exchange.

"Hm? Nothing."

"Really?"

"Really."

"That's too bad," Ino sighed, "since Sakura was really worried about you."

The girl in question whipped her head back to face the blonde. "I was not!" Sakura protested.

Ino's smile was sickly sweet. "Oh, so you _were_ listening."

Sasuke stepped closer and pressed his mouth against Sakura's ear. "I just met up with an old acquaintance, that's all," he whispered, and Sakura almost shivered at the way his lips lightly dusted her earlobe. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

Then he pulled away, leaving her to wonder. "I'm skipping school today," he announced with a crack of his neck. "Tell sensei that I'm sick."

"What? Playing hooky?" Naruto playfully punched his best friend's arm. "Is it a girl? Or—"

"Kakashi," Sasuke corrected him.

"Your guardian?" Ino blinked a few times, her baby blue eyes radiating surprise. "He came back?"

"Aa."

_Kakashi…?_ The name was familiar. Sakura soaked in the information. _So Kakashi's his guardian…_

"I guess he came to celebrate your birthday, huh? A whole season late—that's just like him," Naruto laughed. "He's never on time."

"Ahh, really. But he's so handsome you can't blame him," Ino added dreamily.

"He always covers his face, though?"

"So what? You can totally tell he's handsome even if you've never seen his face. I mean, that perfect facial outline, that muscled tall body… so lean and long and hard. So manly…" Ino appeared to be on the brink of drooling. "I bet Sasuke-kun'll look like him when he grows up, too."

So these two had met him already. Sakura, for some reason, suddenly felt like sulking as the two continued to banter about the possibilities the mask could be hiding.

"Do you want to come with me, Sakura?" Sasuke asked, his voice soft to avoid attracting the blonds' attention. His dark eyes travelled down to meet hers.

She ought to have been used to way he seemed to be able to read her, but his accurate deduction still spooked her. To hide the widening of her eyes, Sakura looked away. And, just as quietly as he'd asked, she answered, "I can't skip school."

Sasuke's sigh sounded disappointed, but also as if he hadn't expected her to say yes anyway. "I forgot how diligent you are," he said, as he began to play with a piece of her hair.

"…But I… would like to meet him sometime." It took all her courage to admit that. Struggling to keep her face from turning a faint pink out of embarrassment, she waited for the vampire's patronizing laugh to come as she stared down at the hands clasped in her lap.

He didn't laugh. "You won't be able to today, since he's leaving in an hour," Sasuke said, "but he'll definitely come around again."

"You'll… let me meet him?" Her surprise caused her words to sound faint.

"Of course. I ought to introduce my consort to the person who takes care of me, shouldn't I?" The Uchiha glanced at the clock. "Crap, I need to go. See you."

His hand dropped away from Sakura's hair, and after sending her a brief smirk, he muttered a goodbye to the other two and disappeared around the doorway.

"Something's definitely up," Ino said.

Naruto nodded his assent. "He's totally hiding something."

Sakura simply turned her head back to the window and decided she'd wait until he told her everything properly. She wouldn't be selfish and force him to talk, because he already promised to tell her when he had the willpower to do so; besides, he'd carefully kept a certain amount of distance between them, wary of getting too close—though his kisses and teasing sometimes took a tentative step over the border.

Still, he was being careful with her, so she'd do the same for him.

But for how much longer would she be kept in the dark?

.

.

_for how much longer will we need to wait for each other?_

.

Naruto let his wide smile fade away as soon as he turned his back to Ino and Sakura, and exhaled a heavy sigh as he sat down in his desk. He put both his elbows on the wooden surface and grabbed bits of his hair in his hands on either side of his head, trying to get hold of his emotions and calm then down.

Jealousy wasn't healthy, after all. But again, it was_ that _expression. She only ever showed that face when the situation concerned Sasuke.

Why Sasuke? Why couldn't it be him?

What made Sasuke better?

His inferiority complex was beginning to take control again, Naruto realized. He knew Sasuke sometimes felt the same way; before being best friends, they'd been bitter rivals. Sasuke had always won, but sometimes there was a hint of fright in that dark gaze so normally distant.

_He's just as human as me_, Naruto thought._ Even though he seems to think his future aspiration is to be an ice cube._

So, the dilemma: Was his intense attraction for Sakura more important, or was Sasuke's happiness more important? The answer was so obvious. With a sigh, he made his decision, releasing his hair and letting his hands fall to his sides.

But first, he needed closure.

.

.

_happiness comes in many forms, after all_

.

"What happened to hating humans?" Kakashi asked, languidly stepping up to where Sasuke sat on a decaying wooden bench, located in the park nearest to the apartment building where he and Sakura lived.

"You're late."

"You still haven't answered my question."

Sasuke looked at him darkly, then turned his gaze to where his sneaker-covered toes touched the horizon of the pavement and browning grass. "I stopped hating them when I was twelve. You know that."

"Ah. I remember you met someone—Naruto, right? That hyper blond boy. Got into a fight with him and he slammed some humanity into you. But even so, he's the only exception. You still hate humans, don't you? That's what you told me. You said you'd never love anybody again."

Sasuke didn't respond.

The older man took a seat on the other end of the bench and let out a heavy exhale. "You're hopeless. You even committed the exchange with a human girl."

Sasuke froze for a second, then sent a shocked glance at his guardian. "How did you know—"

"Everybody knows, Sasuke," said Kakashi. "As next sovereign, the entire Society's got their blood-thirsty eyes on you. I'm aware you've already been attacked by Tayuya and her gang."

"…Annoying."

"Now, now. Don't hold a grudge. She only wants Orochimaru's favor."

Dark eyes narrowed. "Why would anybody want that?" It'd start killing you from the inside, like a cancer cell latching itself onto you against your will and proceeding to multiply and take control of your body. It was sickening. Yet for some reason, everybody in the society seemed to be clamoring for the sovereign's attention.

For power, as he had also done.

"Because everybody wants what they can't get, Sasuke."

"…Even you?"

"I don't care much for the _Sanguinum Societatis. _In fact, I hardly have any attachment to the Bloody Society. But Orochimaru is stronger than I am, therefore I submit. I rebel in quieter ways—like supporting you."

The younger vampire directed his glare down at his black sneakers and white laces.

"But you've lost your ambition, Sasuke."

The boy glanced back up to reveal his confused expression. "…Ha?"

"And you've dulled your senses." Kakashi's dark eye was coldly analytical. "I've noticed that your fangs are filed. While I understand that you need to keep them inconspicuous while you live among humans, it's dangerous to keep grinding them down like that. They're your strongest weapon, especially with the ancient Uchiha blood running through your body—though it's certainly weakened because of your mother's human blood."

There was a slight silence, and Sasuke ran a hand through his hair as he asked, "...And? You have more to say, don't you?"

"What a clever kid you are," said Kakashi sarcastically.

"You don't sound finished."

"Of course I'm not, you brat." Kakashi smirked under his makeshift mask of a black turtleneck. "Second, you should have at least been able to sense me the moment I stood in front of your door. Earlier, even. You've naturally had heightened awareness, but now it must've sunk even below the level of a newly bred vampire." Here he inserted a small sigh. "And, third... this reason could turn out to be the most detrimental."

"...What?" Sasuke prepared himself.

His mentor's reply was unexpected: "You've grown dependent, Sasuke."

There was a pause as the words sank in. "...What do you mean, dependent?" the Uchiha asked.

"I mean you're starting to indulge in human life."

"Can't I spend my last year and a half peacefully?" Sasuke's voice took on a rougher tone. "Are you telling me I should go around and create havoc with my fangs instead of assimilating quietly like you told me to?"

"Listen to yourself." Kakashi looked up at the afternoon sun. "You've clearly given up. Don't you remember what you vowed in front of me the day I convinced Orochimaru to let you spend your childhood out in the human world? I thought you wanted to defeat Orochimaru and gain your freedom. What happened? Where is the ambition you so blindingly ran after?"

The younger vampire gripped his thighs, the smooth fabric of his uniform pants crinkled between his fingers. "It's impossible... defeating Orochimaru."

_Sasuke-kun._ _Your eyes are so weak. Give them to me… I'll make you stronger… I'll make you into a beautiful vampire._

_Be my weapon and I will grant you power._

"You promised Itachi you would. How can you submit to fear now?"

Sasuke's dark eyes seemed to glaze over. "Nii-san has overestimated me. Both times. And now he's dead because of it."

_Run, little brother._

_I'll kill you!_

Pale fingers clenched into tight, shaking fists.

"You were young," Kakashi said.

"So? Getting older's done nothing for me. If anything, it's made my situation worse."

"Sasuke." Kakashi gave him a sideways glance. "You have a chance. Acknowledge that much."

"What _chance?_" Sasuke gritted his teeth and lowered his head, his black hair hiding his face from view. "Orochimaru had me the moment he tricked me when I was eight years old. He even had Itachi." And Itachi had always been the strongest. The best. His idol. His aspiration. Everything.

Until the Uchiha massacre.

And, impossibly, Itachi lost.

Kakashi's words were cold. "I thought you wanted revenge?"

"I can't win. And I don't want to trick myself into believing such a thing."

"Tsk…" Kakashi slowly rose to his feet. "I had hope in you, but you're just another failure of a brat, aren't you?" He turned and headed down the paved road. "I know you're struggling. You're going to need time to figure your thoughts out. But by the time I visit you next, you'd better have made up your mind properly."

Pale hands gripped the uniform pants even tighter, creating previously nonexistent wrinkles.

Still walking away, Kakashi's voice began to grow fainter as the distance between him and the younger vampire. "See you. Remember that you need to protect those special to you."

"...Kakashi…"

"Especially that human girl." A hand raised to loosely wave goodbye. "Seems like she's been through a lot, hm?"

"Kakashi, wait a second."

"And keep in mind what we talked about last night."

"_Kakashi—!_"

And, just like that, Sasuke's guardian disappeared out of sight.

.

.

_you can't be babied forever_

.

"Sakura-chan… can I talk to you?"

"Hm? Yeah, I…" The words caught in her mouth when she saw the look on the blond's face. "What's wrong, Naruto?"

The other students filed out of the classroom, a few chatting as they stumbled out in groups. Naruto remained silent, as he watched the rest of the people leave; Sakura didn't try to edge words out of him, and simply watched the classroom empty as well.

It wasn't until the door closed behind them that Naruto finally broke the silence. "Sakura-chan…"

"What is it?"

"You're… worried."

"…Huh?"

"About the bastard."

Sakura felt her cheeks grow a little hot. "…Ah… so you… noticed?" She couldn't deny it anymore. Both Naruto and Ino had way too much perspicacity to keep the truth from them, so what good would it do to hide it?

"Of course I did… because I'm always watching you." Naruto did not blush, nor did his words carry even a hint of embarrassment. But his gaze didn't seem focused; the cerulean eyes, normally brilliant and bright, possessed a strangely distant atmosphere.

"Naruto…?"

"I like you." Suddenly the eyes jerked back into reality, and he was looking at her, deeply sinking into her own green gaze. "Sakura-chan, I like you."

…_Ah._

The intensity of his blue gaze suddenly filled her with nostalgia of the time they kissed. Of how similar to the sky his eyes had been. Of how gentle his lips could feel against hers. Of how sweet and happy her heart had fluttered, as if it they were the protagonists of a fairytale.

Naruto could make her happy, she'd thought at the time. _He's not like the others. I can trust him._

And yet, looking at him now, reminded of that moment back at the beach, again she was so sharply reminded of how Sasuke's kiss was somehow superior.

It took her a long moment to make coherent words in her brain. "I can't… return those feelings," stumbled out from her mouth.

The serious expression the Uzumaki wore softened into a smile. "Mm. I know."

"Then, why…?"

"Because hiding your feelings is the worst." Naruto grinned. "Well, now that I got that out of the way, my shoulders suddenly feel way lighter? Huh. Interesting. Actually, this is the first time I've ever confessed. Lame, isn't it?" His shoulders sank slightly. "Yeah, that's right. I'm really lame."

"Naruto—"

"Sorry, but… can you leave?" When he turned to look at her, his grin was weak and his eyes glistened. "I think I need to be alone for a while."

"…Yeah." Sakura grabbed her bag and quickly headed out. The door slid open and she made her escape, feeling a bit unsteady as started her usual route home.

.

.

_why must feelings… be so complicated?_

.

At least half an hour had passed since Sakura had left, and yet here he was still, sitting on the window sill, one knee up high so his chin could rest on it. His eyes were closed as he lost himself in thought.

Over the sound of the sliding door, Sakura had murmured, "Sorry."

Naruto hadn't wanted to hear that. He didn't want to her say sorry, because he wasn't ashamed at all that he felt this way towards her. Why should she, or he for that matter, be sorry? He loved her. She didn't love him back. He'd known from the start she would say no. She shouldn't have said sorry. It wasn't her fault he fell for her. He just did, that's all. It was nobody's fault. The only problem was that he would probably love her for a while longer.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath.

_Even if you haven't realized it yourself, Sakura-chan—_

"Excuse me… Naruto-kun?"

The blond quickly sat up and glanced at the pale, dark-haired girl, who was meekly peeking in by the open door. "Hey, Hinata," he greeted.

"Um—er—that is… W-would you like to go get some, some ramen?" Her pale face was flushed. "Uh—not just with me, of course! W-with Kiba-kun and Ino and Shikamaru-kun as well!" She seemed to lose her courage for a moment, as her pale eyes flickered to her tiny feet in the mandatory dark green indoor shoes, but then she looked up again with determination. "I-I'd be really happy if you came!"

A genuine smile crept onto Naruto's lips. Hinata… she was always innocently sincere. Unlike a certain somebody. "Sure," he said.

As he grabbed his bag, he closed his eyes, just briefly. With time, he would be healed from this pain. And yet, he knew, though the truth hurt like this, his heart was honestly thankful for his feelings.

Because learning to love someone… is such a precious thing.

He opened his eyes, letting reality sink in. "Let's go, Hinata," he said, turning to face her. She smiled at him, a sweet curve of pink lips, and suddenly he felt... appeased, somehow. Like things were going to be okay.

"Okay," she said.

He looked down at the ground, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath in.

_Even if you haven't realized it yourself, Sakura-chan, you're falling for the bastard, aren't you?_

And slowly released it.

_You need to realize your feelings soon._

When he looked up again, she was still smiling. Naruto returned the Hyuuga's soft smile with his own content grin, stepped up to her, and they set out together side by side. The classroom door slid shut behind them with a very final-sounding clang.

_Or it'll be too late to save him from himself._


	25. indecision

[A/N] I am ALIVE. With an UPDATE. Enjoy ;)

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

25} indecision

.

.

_close your eyes, take my hand, and let's dream of a better world_

.

Sasuke lied in his bed with limbs sprawled in all directions, unable to sleep. His blanket had fallen off the bed some time ago, but he lacked the willpower to reach down and grab it. His apartment maintained heat fairly well, so he was warm enough without the blanket over him, though he felt remarkably confident that December would be chilling.

_December_...

The vampire smiled. He had met Haruno Sakura in April, at the start of the school year, and just a few weeks after that, he'd learned the taste of her blood. Time seemed to sail away, thrusting him too quickly towards his eighteenth birthday, when he would have to disappear. He felt strangely calm about the fact. In only a year and a half, his existence would disappear with Orochimaru taking over his body. It would inevitably happen, so he felt no qualms.

And then Sakura would be free...

Suddenly, there was an intense heat from the back of his neck. He cringed, and pressed his hand against the curse seal. Thoughts of Sakura burned him with a carnal desire to dig his teeth into her neck. No, more than that. He wanted to cover her pale skin with signs of his possession of her, give her pretty limbs his teeth marks. His body ached for her, but the desire he had for his lovely human consort was beyond the influence of the curse seal.

Because it wasn't just the curse seal that yearned to take her slender body into his arms and her skin into his mouth. He wanted her, too. The problem was that the curse seal made him want to take things too far.

It made him want to kill her.

.

.

_maintain your distance_

.

"Sasuke-kun," she greeted him quietly as she opened the door.

"Good morning," he said, and adjusted his green tie. "Ready?"

"...Yeah."

They set off for school. Sakura did not fail to notice his dark circles; they were ever present, but this morning they made a very clear hint that he hadn't gotten any sleep. But it wasn't just that that made her anxious.

He walked ahead of her. Just half a step. Just enough to make her wary.

.

.

_why won't you trust me?_

.

Naruto acted completely normal at school, as if he _hadn't_ admitted to loving Haruno Sakura just the afternoon before. It made Sakura feel... weird. Somehow blamed. "Naruto," she said when her eyes caught him coming inside the classroom, and he ran to her and hugged her in greeting as usual.

"Sakura-chan! You missed out on some great ramen yesterday," he informed her as he pulled away. She was faintly surprised; usually she was the first to break the hug.

"...Ramen?" she repeated.

"Yeah. Hinata invited me."

Sakura blinked a few times, confused, and her eyes flickered to where the Hyuuga girl sat at her desk, the sweet face looking content as she read through a thick, fancy-looking novel. "Oh," Sakura said, not sure of what else she could say.

Naruto grinned. "But today, you, me, and the bastard should all go get some!"

"Sasuke-kun left already," Ino piped in, finally deciding to enter the conversation despite having been atop Sakura's desk the entire time.

"Aw, dammit!" Naruto cursed. "Where'd he go? I saw him walking in with Sakura-chan just a few minutes ago!"

Ino shrugged. "Dunno."

"But you _always_ know where the hell he is."

Naruto received a vicious slap on the side of his head for that one. "That's_ you_! And don't talk to me like I'm some stalker!" Ino hissed.

The other blond put a hand up in supplication. "Sorry. Just don't hit me again. Those freaking nails will slice my face in half."

Ino glared at him. "Like I'd waste a pretty manicure on destroying your face... although it'd be helluva a lot of fun."

"Oi!"

Sakura sighed, eternally failing to understand how the two always had so much energy to waste on arguments. Sasuke could usually fend them off for a while, monopolizing her...

Where would he have to go that was so urgent that he skipped school?

.

.

_I guess I wanted you to depend on me_

.

"How does it feel?"

"It... burns."

Shizune frowned as she pulled her fingers away from the back of Sasuke's neck. "That doesn't sound good," she said.

"Just give me some blood," replied the younger vampire, tugging at his white collar and trying to pry it away from his neck and the strange tattoo Orochimaru had planted there. He'd come straight to the hospital after dropping Sakura off at school, neglecting to go home and change, and the uniform's itchy material agitated the mark. "It'll make me feel better, even if only for a while."

"Sasuke." She spoke with an ominous tone of warning. "You haven't been drinking enough blood."

"Yeah." He shrugged. "I know." It wouldn't do for him to be seen anywhere with those red eyes; that's why he came here, before Sakura could notice the blaring physical scream of his eyes that asked for her blood.

Shizune shook her head and reached for the wooden chair. The check-up room was locked, so she was free to talk without fear of interruption, but she still felt a little anxious discussing vampire-related topics in a human-filled hospital. As she sat down, she said wearily, "You care about her, don't you? Haruno-san."

He looked immediately perturbed at her question, but gave a brief nod.

Though knowing it hurt him to admit it, she continued, "Then don't you want to drink her blood?" Shizune propped her arm onto the little desk containing a sundry collection of medical items, and looked at the boy who struggled to find words.

After a few thoughtful seconds, Sasuke said, "I do. Every day. Every minute." He paused. "That's the problem." His downcast eyes softened with melancholy.

"Are you falling in love with her?" Shizune asked him softly.

"...No." He looked up to give the other vampire a smirk. "Don't you know I swore off love of any kind when Itachi betrayed me?"

"But he never actually betrayed you," she pointed out.

"I know," said Sasuke, "but the vow still stands."

"Why?" she questioned, taken aback.

"I only have a year and a half left, Shizune."

"Hm. Kakashi couldn't slap any sense into you?"

Sasuke glanced up again, his black gaze sharp. "How did you know he visited me?"

"We're quite friendly, you know."

"You're on his side, aren't you?"

"Jealous, Sasu-chan?" she teased him.

"Don't call me that," he retorted.

She laughed; then she sighed, before softly inquiring, "Sasuke, don't you want to live?"

"I don't have a choice."

"No," she agreed, "but you can fight."

His expression soured. "You _are_ on Kakashi's side," he said, with the corner of his lips pulled down.

"Yes," Shizune told him with a smile, "which means we're both on _your_ side."

.

.

_choose to live, for my sake_

.

It was a vicious cycle.

He needed to drink her blood in order to survive.

But when he drank her blood, the curse seal on the back of his neck threatened to activate and take over.

So he cut himself off from her entirely, ending up with extremely painful "withdrawal symptoms", as Kakashi had called them. He could probably go and seduce some other girls in order to get their blood, but that would be breaking his promise with her, and breaking promises went against the honor code he had established after meeting Naruto.

Besides, he wanted to drink _her_ blood, and only hers.

But the times he did drink her blood, he always drank too much. By doing that, he hurt her. He didn't want to hurt her.

But he needed to drink her blood in order to survive.

A vicious, vicious, painful cycle.

.

.

_please look at me_

.

The sun was setting behind Sakura as she knocked on her consort's front door, feeling terribly awkward. "...Sasuke?" she called, when there was no response. She knocked again, and waited. Still no reply. Was he in the shower?

She stood there, silently, wondering what to do and feeling her resolve melt into a puddle of embarrassment. She'd come to demand him to drink her blood... but he wasn't even here. How had he become so adept at avoiding her in the space of a week? And where the hell would he be on a school evening?

"Sakura. What are you doing here?"

She nearly jumped—_Speak of the devil!—_but settled for a small shriek instead. She turned around slowly, and avoided the dark eyes of her consort by staring at his sneaker-clad feet. "Sasuke-kun," she greeted the ground simply.

"I said, what are you doing here?" Sasuke looked at her for a moment, but when she didn't give an answer, he stepped around her to unlock the door. He didn't open it, though, and instead turned to simply meet her gaze, which had finally risen from the flooe.

They stared at each other for a long moment of silence, until Sakura broke it to murmur, "I want you to drink my blood."

He blinked. "What?"

"Drink my blood, Sasuke." Sakura reached around him to open the door, and stepped primly inside. She strode over to the couch, trying not to feel uncomfortable with his heavy gaze watching her, and sat down. She sat with her knees together and her hands clasped in her lap.

He walked over to her. But instead of sitting beside her on the couch and reaching for her neck, he grabbed her arm instead a few inches below her shoulder. He hoisted her to her feet. "Leave, Sakura."

Rage suddenly burned in her. "Why are you being so distant?" she cried, and pulled away from his grip. It hadn't been very strong, but his expression wore shock upon seeing her break away so forcefully. "Some days, you act like everything's okay... you treat me nicely, you... you even kiss me, and then all of a sudden, just like that, you randomly pull away." Her eyes blazed with an emerald fire. "I really hate that!"

"Sakura." He paused, unsure of what to say, then murmured, "Sometimes, I don't know how much I can tell you."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because you'll get scared and run away."

"Run away? From you?" She inhaled sharply, then looked away. "You're a vampire, you've bitten me several times already, and we did the soul exchange. Our lives are intertwined, right?" Her lip quivered, and she unexpectedly turned back to him. He almost stepped back at the anger in her eyes. "I just... want to help you."

Without a word, he pushed her back into a seated position on the couch. He let himself down beside her, and very gently, he took her face between his hands. She seemed to freeze for a moment, her eyes wide as she looked into his red eyes.

"You're hungry," she whispered.

"For you," he agreed, and then he kissed her.

She didn't push him away, her body remaining still except for her lips, which moved against his to ask, "Why haven't you been asking for my blood lately?"

He hesitated before pulling away. "Sakura," he said, and his fingers traveled from her face to her neck, "you're becoming a hazard."

Green eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I want to do terrible things to you."

She seemed to be at a loss of words.

"You don't know anything, do you? But it's my fault for keeping you so in the dark." He sighed. "Do you see this mark?" he asked, and turned his body just enough that she could see the back of his neck. He lifted up his hair.

"...What is it?"

"It's a curse seal."

"Curse seal?"

"It's a mark of my slavery."

She stared at him, bewildered. "You're a slave?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I'm the slave of the current sovereign of the vampire community."

"What community?"

"The Bloody Society," he replied.

Sakura tilted her head slightly, the only physical indication of her curiosity. Her expression remained neutral. "Then who's the current sovereign?"

"His name is Orochimaru."

"...And why are you his slave?"

"Because I made an agreement with him. If he gave me power, I would give him my body in return." He dropped his hands from her neck, but his eyes steadily held hers.

"Do all vampires pretend to be human?"

"No."

"But you're allowed to just... roam?"

"No."

She blinked. "Then how are you here?"

"Because a nurse called Shizune and a man named Kakashi convinced Orochimaru to let me out until I turned eighteen."

"...What happens when you turn eighteen?" she asked.

"So full of questions, aren't you?" he teased her, and pinched her nose. But his tiny smirk was bitter, not amused. "What I mean to say, Sakura, I'm going to disappear when I turn eighteen."

Finally her blank expression contorted into one of bewilderment. "I don't... understand."

Sasuke reached for a strand of her hair, and twirled it around his finger. "He's going to take my body. He'll erase me and insert himself, and everything about me will disappear. That's the significance of this seal."

"...Then it's just a benign mark?"

"No. It hurts me."

"What does it do?"

He looked away. "It makes me want to bite your neck in half."

Sakura froze completely.

"Not now," he said, "only when I drink your blood. But that's not much better, is it? Still feeling up to offering your blood to me? Don't worry, I'll be gone soon enough."

"Sasuke-kun..." She grabbed hold of his hand, the one that had her hair around a finger. "Is that why you haven't been drinking my blood?" Her eyes were wide, showing him every bit of her green pupils. "Because you want to kill me?"

_Oh, her scared expression is beautiful..._

Knowing he had already told her too much, he murmured, "_Go to sleep, Sakura_," into her ear, impressing his magic onto her.

She closed her eyes, but not before giving him a death glare, a quiet warning that definitely, this conversation _would_ continue.

.

.

_don't leave me_

.

He was avoiding her for her sake.

He was afraid of killing her, wasn't he? He didn't want things to go too far. He didn't want to hurt her, hiding behind a mask of arrogance and maintaining an unwanted distance.

Didn't he realize that she didn't care about that?

She just wanted him to look at her.

.

.

_Sasuke-kun, please don't go_

.

So now she must be scared shitless of him.

Well, good for her, he mused, since otherwise he probably would, at some point, take things too far. The bite hurt enough already, and he felt guilty every time he caught her flushed, pained expression as his fangs dug into her skin.

But underlying the guilt, there was a sadistic exhilaration that arose in his chest from witnessing her pain. It frightened him. The curse seal, the marker of Orochimaru's control over him, affected him deeply, even to the point of warping his personality. Sometimes cruelty felt almost more appealing than the little smile Sakura gave him as a thank you every time he held the door for her.

He just wanted her to be safe.

.

.

_please, please, don't go_

.

When she woke up, she didn't know where she was. She sat up, so quickly that her eyes blurred. After the dizziness faded away, she tried to get her bearings, and realized she had somehow gotten into Uchiha Sasuke's room for the second time. She reached up to touch her neck. There were no bite marks... her self-imposed mission, Get Uchiha Sasuke to Drink My Blood, had failed.

Like the last time she'd slept here, she looked at the ground to see Sasuke's head resting in his arms on the edge of the bed, his legs crossed beneath him.

But his eyes were open.

She jumped. "G-good morning," she greeted him warily. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You should probably go," he said, not answering her question.

She tensed. "You're pushing me away," she stated simply.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Like I said last night, you are a hazard."

"You haven't explained why."

He rose to his feet, and pulled the girl up with him. He took hold of her wrist and began pulling her to the door. She didn't resist physically, but murmured as they approached the front door, "You should have just put me in my own bed, then, you bastard, instead of making me think you cared."

He dropped her wrist, and turned to her. "You," he said, dark eyes narrowed, "are _annoying_."

Then, abruptly, he swung the door open and pushed her out through it. "Go to school," he said simply, looking at some spot above her head, and slammed the door in her face. Sakura simply stood there, totally shocked, until a furious kind of fire flared inside of her. What the _hell_ was his problem?

"Fuck you, Uchiha!" she screamed at the door, and kicked it for good measure. "I hate you, you goddamn bastard!"

Gritting her teeth, Sakura decided that today, for the first time since high school had started, she'd play hooky. To spite him. To spite everything. God, she knew missing school hadn't ever been an option for her before, but today, there was no way she could deal with _people_. Of any kind.

Damn him! She'd been hoping that maybe he'd accept her advance. Accept her invitation to bite her, with the idea that he would catch the underlying hint there. But instead, he'd pushed her away, the bastard.

She stormed away from the apartment building, whimsically heading downtown, her lips pressed together and her eyes narrowed into an unnatural expression of fury.

_Of course you'd pull a move like that, bastard. Just when I was thinking that maybe, you could understand me, and that I could trust you._


	26. realization

[A/N] Thank you guys so much for reviewing! :)

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<br>**a vampire fic

26} realization

.

.

_hidden memories erupting, like a blooming wildflower_

.

"_Go to sleep, Sakura_."

With one last glare, her eyes closed, and she fell into a peaceful slumber. He looked at her: the contrast of her dark lashes against her pale skin, the slightly parted pink lips, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed; and felt his fingers aching to touch her throat—soft, milky skin, hiding the flowing jugular blood vessels.

Kakashi had asked him to make up his mind before he made another visit. Well. "Sakura," he whispered, "I need you to run away from me." Before he could catch her. Before he could tear her apart. Before he decided to destroy what made him feel human.

The curse seal burned on his neck. The feel of Sakura lying on top of him did strange things to his psyche. Agitated, Sasuke put his arms under the girl's back and legs, and lifted her up. With as minimal jostling as possible, he walked over to his room with his sleeping consort in his arms, and gently laid her thin body down on his bed.

He pulled the cover over her slender body, and positioned himself beside the bed. _Just tonight_, he promised himself, _only tonight._ He'd soak the sight of her in: Sakura at peace, Sakura happy, Sakura unafraid.

Sakura as Sakura should be.

"If I weren't a vampire," he murmured, his lips against her ear, "I could make you happy."

Ah_—too close_. He pulled away quickly, but the sound of her blood flowing already took its effect. He flinched as a painful flame began to rush through his body. Desperately, he hoped she wouldn't wake up for a while. As the curse seal began to spread over his body, inflaming his skin with burning heat and the strange flame-like marks, he closed his eyes and immersed himself in the pain, careful not to scream and wake his sleeping consort.

.

.

_I won't let anything hurt you_

.

"Fuck you, Uchiha! I hate you, you goddamn bastard!"

With a smarting foot and her hands in the pockets of her long sweater, Sakura meandered downtown, lost in thought. Her black leggings didn't do much for warmth, but the thick knee-length red and white striped sweater and black, insulated boots did enough. Her hair, now just creeping past her shoulders, got tied up into a small ponytail, exposing her ears to the cold.

She rubbed her hands together to create some heat, and then pressed her palms against her ears. In vain, Sakura wished she'd at least brought a scarf, but in her anger, she hadn't thought to dress for the weather. She only wanted to get out of the neighborhood (away from _him_) so she could think.

Seriously, what was wrong with him? Why purposefully stop himself from drinking her blood? Well, okay, so the curse seal was a problem. But she just couldn't understand it, because he never explained properly what about it haunted him. What kind of power did the curse seal have on him? Was it way for the sovereign Orochimaru to control him? Was it evil? Why did it make him want to kill her?

At some point, she hoped that Sasuke would trust her, and explain everything. But he shied away from depending on her. Since he'd talked to Kakashi, his guardian, Sasuke-kun acted... different. More thoughtful and speculative, less verbal and teasing. Like he was making some kind of decision.

Though she hated the way he treated her like a toy, she hated the way he suddenly put up barriers even more. He needed to tell her everything. He'd given her a brief explanation. He had a curse seal, it hurt him and made him want to do terrible things to her, and he was the slave of some vampire king person named Orochimaru.

But what did that all mean? And he was going to disappear when he turned eighteen years old, too?

If there was a time limit... Why did he always push her away?

_Doesn't he want to be with me?_

She paused suddenly, as a thought hit her, and it froze her mid-step. "I can't blame him," she whispered to herself, in horrified realization. She didn't tell him much about herself, either. How could she expect him to open up to her when she acted like a hypocrite? But she couldn't just run back now, spilling apologies. Because he had wronged her, too... calling her "annoying".

The only other person to have told her that was her father.

.

.

_realize it, you idiot_

.

Sasuke sat on the couch, unseeingly staring at the lamp across the room, near the door. Two hours had passed since Sakura had stormed away. He didn't know where she had gone, but he knew wherever, she was going, it was most certainly far away from him.

"Dammit," he muttered, and went to stand up, but suddenly cold fingers reached around his throat, rendering Sasuke into immediate stillness.

"Sa. Su. Ke. Kun," said the familiar, low voice. Each syllable was enunciated with the careful precision only such a completely heartless man could possess and wield in all areas of his life. The man whose nails and knife bit into Sasuke's jugular had been the one to discover how to kill a human with one bite. The one who had determined the exact amount of noble vampire blood needed to give a power surge. The one who'd learned to perfect the soul exchange ritual.

Orochimaru's favorite.

"Kabuto," greeted Sasuke quietly.

The stiff edge of a small medical knife pressed lightly into Sasuke's neck, where his visitor held it with precise exactitude against his carotid artery. Slender elbows rested on the back of the couch on either side of Sasuke's shoulders, creating a threatening semi-prison, but the younger vampire remained stoic. "Nice to see you again, otouto-kun," murmured the silver-haired vampire into Sasuke's ear.

"_Don't_ call me that."

"Ah," replied the silver-haired vampire over a chuckle, "Is beloved Itachi-nii-san still the only one who can call you little brother?"

Dark eyes narrowed. "Don't speak of the dead with that disrespectful tone."

"Disrespectful? No. Itachi-sama truly led the vampire society with incredible poise and elegance. Even your father, a fully pureblood noble, hardly stood a chance to your brother's natural leadership abilities." Kabuto slid the knife away from the younger boy's neck and slipped it away inside his sleeve. "But you... I don't know what Orochimaru-sama sees in you, though I admit you have powerful genes despite the fact you're half human."

"You seem to forget," said Sasuke, "that I am not human anymore."

Kabuto chuckled. "But you were. And your mother forever is, even in death." The vampire straightened, and momentarily, the atmospheric pressure coming from his arms presence on either side of Sasuke disappeared. Then, before Sasuke could blink, the tall figure of his long-time companion and rival suddenly stood before him. Clad in a loose, long-sleeved white t-shirt and slim black pants, he looked almost like an average human. But the hungry red eyes behind round glasses and those sharp fangs proved himself to be otherwise.

"Besides, it's not like I want to think of you as..._ family_. How disgusting." Kabuto raised an eyebrow. "I never liked you much. The day you left was probably one of the best moments of my life."

"I feel the same way."

"Then for once, we agree."

Sasuke met the other boy's eyes evenly. The silver hair glistened, contrasting with the dark gray eyes. Kabuto was a creature of the night. Once Sasuke had been like that, too, years ago, when he acted as Orochimaru's weapon. Resisting a shudder, Sasuke clenched his fist. "Why are you here?" he asked.

"I wanted to meet your lover," said Kabuto, with a nonchalant shrug. "She must be beautiful if you were willing to give her a piece of your precious little soul."

"There is no reason for you to meet her," replied the Uchiha testily.

"You think so?"

Sasuke bristled. "You want to kill me, yet you can't because of Orochimaru." His dark eyes narrowed. "Don't take your anger out on a human girl that has no relation to the vampire society."

"Look at you, getting so defensive," laughed Kabuto. Did I ever say I wanted to hurt her? I just want to meet her, speak to her once." Kabuto leaned in, so that their noses nearly touched. "Or maybe I'll corrupt her...? Ah, that's a good expression, Sasuke-kun." Kabuto ran a finger down Sasuke's cheek. "Those angry eyes are the best."

"Don't flatter me," Sasuke practically spat. "Why are you here?"

"I told you, I want to meet Haruno Sakura. I heard she even defended you against Tayuya's gang. She's small but unexpectedly fierce, isn't she?"

The Uchiha's fingers, having lied dormant on other side of his lap, now curled into tight fists.

"Well, it was nice to see you... Sasuke-kun." Kabuto stood up again and smirked. "I'll be telling Orochimaru that you're doing well."

Sasuke said nothing, and with that, Kabuto leapt out the open window. The young vampire stared out as the silver-haired figure disappeared, and a sudden realization shot into him a sense of urgency that made his heart rate spike.

.

.

_just listen_

.

"Shit!" Without thinking, Sasuke jumped to his feet and threw himself out the window after the silver-haired figure.

_If he goes after her..._

He grit his teeth, heat coursing through his body in an intense wave of overwhelming fury.

_I'll** kill** him__!_

.

.

_because someday, you might really end up hating me_

.

Sakura walked with languid steps down the sidewalk. She'd been walking for an hour now. She'd let her feet take her where they wanted to go, and here she was, back in her childhood. Letting out a sigh, she took a long look at her surroundings. There was the little cafe whose coffee her mother loved; there was the bakery that made her favorite muffins; there was the cracked flowerpot, cracked by a badly aimed soccer ball, that never got thrown away.

And just a few steps later, she turned the corner, and before her wide, green eyes stood the apartment building she had lived in with her father and mother until a few short months ago. She stared at the mass of concrete with a bittersweet smile on her lips. Here was a building that symbolized years of happy memories... and also years of complete emotional chaos.

Memories that she could never forget.

She took a few more steps forward, and then felt her arm grabbed by a big hand. _A pervert? _she mentally shrieked, and tried to pull her wrist away. "Leave me alone!" she cried, but the familiar voice that answered shocked her into stillness.

"Sakura. You _are_ Sakura, aren't you?"

The girl turned around slowly, eyes widening in disbelief. "...Sai-senpai?" she murmured, gazing at him with a plethora of complicated emotions.

He offered her a faint, empty smile, and she wondered whether or not to run away.

.

.

_but please_

.

It was the only thing he could think about: _Get to Sakura. Get to Sakura. Get to Sakura._

How strange, that his entire life now seemed to be focused on keeping her safe. He just liked to see her smile. It gave him a reason to look forward to tomorrow.

That was all.

If he let himself think too deeply about it, then only problems could arise, so he left the answer undiscovered... though he knew that it lay dormant in his heart, ready to burst at any given moment if he wasn't careful.

.

.

_try to understand my feelings_

.

"S-Sai-senpai."

"You're shaking." A statement, not a question. His dark eyes watched her, and Sakura unconsciously tried to cover herself with her arms.

His gaze just knew too much. "...I..."

"Hate me, right?" He shrugged. "I fucked up. I fucked you, too. Literally. It's perfectly understandable."

Sakura paled. "Senpai—"

He met her eyes, and she noticed that in his previously indifferent gaze, there now existed a melancholy settled in the black irises. He murmured, "Don't call me that."

They looked away from each other. A silence fell over them; Sakura kicked a pebble, and during the long moment that the tiny rock rolled down the street and skidded to a stop, he couldn't seem to look at her, though her eyes flickered towards him every few seconds.

Finally, she broke the silence by asking simply, "How are you doing?" She uncrossed her arms, letting them fall to her sides.

He still didn't look at her. "Why are you asking me that?" he inquired softly.

"I... don't know," she admitted. "Even though you screwed me over, I still... care."

"Like the way you still love your father?" Finally, he looked up, and Sakura took notice of the inquisitive expression full of complicated emotion. "Why do you love the people who hurt you the most, Sakura?"

She didn't answer the rhetorical question, letting it hang. "You're different. From before. Your eyes are... kinder."

"Am I? I suffered heartbreak recently, Sakura, and then I remembered you. Never forgot you, really." He let out a sigh. "I've been hoping to see you. Thought I'd officially apologize."

"Apologize?" She pointed to herself. "To me?"

He nodded. "...Can I?"

She didn't know what to say, so she said nothing at all... and to her surprise, he fell to his knees into a dogeza. He remained there for a slow few seconds, his forehead pressed against the ground, until Sakura registered the fact that he was lowering his head to her in a self-humiliating fashion.

"No, Senpai! Please stand up!" She grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him out of the position. But being too weak, she couldn't manage to pull his taller height to his feet, and instead fell on top of him onto the sidewalk. His body, slender but muscular, radiated warmth underneath her. Sakura momentarily froze, unused to the sensation of anyone other than Sasuke or Naruto being so close to her.

"Sakura," he murmured, his lips somewhere near her forehead, "I'm sorry."

She put her hands on either side of his chest and lifted herself up to look down at him. "Senpai..."

If anybody had been on the street at that moment and seen them, the position would have looked incredibly intimate. But there was no real closeness here, despite the physical proximity; Sakura could see so clearly that their relationship could ever develop further than acquaintances. There was too much pain in their past to try and fix the broken pieces.

He'd used her, and she'd used him. But now...

"I hope you can find somebody that can truly love you one day, because I couldn't when you needed me to. I'm really sorry." He paused for a moment, then whispered, in such a low voice she almost didn't catch the words: "Please be willing to love again, for your sake." Sai's eyes, dark and cloudy, eerily reminded her of a certain vampire's midnight gaze.

"Senpai..."

Before she could finish, she suddenly was on her feet, with a pair of slender, strong arms wrapped around her in a manner that could only be described as protective and monopolizing.

"Sakura. What the hell are you doing here?"

Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. _It's you_, she thought, taking in the feel of his arms around her and how comfortable she felt in that position. Then she smiled, and directed her next words towards the boy still on the floor, looking at the pair in surprise. "Senpai," Sakura said, "I'll be okay."

The older boy sat up, and looked at the pair before him; his eyes noticed that the boy glaring at him had an incredibly tight embrace around the young girl whose life he'd destroyed. He smiled. "You've already found that somebody, haven't you, Sakura?" He let out a small sigh, and got to his feet. Brushing off the dirt on his pants, he asked, "Do you forgive me?"

"Yes," replied Sakura easily.

"Then let's never see each other again." He gave her a little wave. "Bye-bye, Sakura-chan."

She nodded, and he turned on his heel. It wasn't until his figure had walked off so far that he was approximately the size of an ant in the distance that Sasuke finally relaxed his sharp glare and released his hold on his consort, letting his arms fall more comfortably around her.

"Who the fuck was that?" he asked abruptly, eyes still glaring in his direction.

"His name is Sai." Sakura didn't move away from the loose hug. "He's... my first boyfriend, I guess."

"...Boyfriend?" repeated Sasuke, all too curiously.

"Yes." For some reason, she found his wavering indifference amusing, and edged it on.

Sasuke's expression became superbly blank. "I didn't know you ever had one," he said stiffly.

"He was the first person I ever fell in love with," she said.

If possible, Sasuke seemed to become even more rigid.

For his sake, Sakura decided to change the subject. "Why did you follow me?" she asked, looking at him, but he wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Because of... nothing. What was that guy's name? Sai? Where does he live?"

"It has nothing to do with you—"

"It has _everything_ to do with me, Sakura!" Sasuke dropped his arms and stepped in front of her, so that she could see his furious expression. "You need to let me know about you—about the things that matter to you—because..." He stopped, and looked away, lips taut from agitation.

"Because...?"

"...We're consorts," he finished lamely.

"You're demanding to know my personal life, yet you don't tell me anything about you?"

He turned his gaze in her direction and stared for a second, and then wordlessly, he shrugged off his jacket and put it on her shoulders.

"Huh?"

"You're shivering," was all he said.

"How gentlemanly."

"I'm always a gentleman."

But Sakura accepted the jacket and slipped her arms into the sleeves. Sasuke's body heat still lingered; somehow the idea of wearing his jacket excited her in an inexplicable way. "Sasuke-kun," she said, as she began to make sense of why her heart was beating so fast.

He looked up at her, an eyebrow cocked in an inquisitive expression.

"Let's go get some coffee.".

.

.

_no; let's try together_

.

"You only have until his eighteenth birthday to make him fall in love with you," Shizune had whispered in her ear several weeks ago.

Then it was time that Sakura had better get started, because like it or not, everything was so clear to her now. She finally understood how Naruto must have felt the day he confessed to her. It was a fact, a simple matter of life, and regardless of whether Sasuke returned her feelings, the emotional epiphany made her feel so strangely at peace.

_I love him._

She didn't know since when. She didn't know what exactly had made her fall for him, or what she liked about him, or what these feelings would bring about in the future. She loved him, that was all. Explanations, at this point, lacked any meaning. She had another year and a half to figure out what these heart palpitations meant.


	27. helplessness

[A/N] You guys are the best. Your feedback seriously encourages me to keep updating instead of abandoning this fic. Thank you for letting me know that you actually enjoy SftR! I apologize about the lack of updates... I've been incredibly busy. Life, you know, and part-time jobs.

Happy reading~

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><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

27} helplessness

.

.

_I won't ever let you go_

.

"I hate coffee."

"...Why?"

"It's always either too bitter or too sweet."

Sakura glanced up at him, watching his black expression. "I think it's delicious," she said, trying to coerce him into animation, movement, _something_. He sat so still in his wooden chair, as if he were completely exhausted... yet his eyes held a dark determination in them. As if he were angry.

_He couldn't be jealous of Sai-senpai, right?_

"Well, then." He lazily met her gaze. "Enjoy your damn coffee."

"But you got some, too."

He wordlessly pushed his mug towards her; the brown liquid threatened to slosh over the edge of its container and onto the table.

"...Thanks?" she said hesitantly, and dragged it closer to her side of the table as a way of accepting it, though she didn't really want two cups of coffee. She took another sip from the mug already in her hands. She liked her coffee somewhat bitter, with just a spoonful of cream and a pinch of sugar, and the taste lingered on her tongue as she peered at him over the rim of the purple mug. She tried to keep the conversation going. "Do you like tea, then?"

His gaze was impossibly steady. "I hate most hot drinks. I had to drink green tea everyday at my house, so I got used to that, but everything else... I tend to dislike."

"Funny, since I don't like cold drinks," said Sakura.

"Herbal tea kind of person?"

"Yes, I am."

They looked at each other for a long moment, green and black boring into each other. There were only a few other couples in the tiny coffee shop, and most of them were looking longingly into each other's eyes. From those couples' viewpoints, though, perhaps the vampire and his consort also appeared to be lovingly gazing at each other. But there existed a hidden urgency in the two's trivial conversation, and a deep-set worry that shook both their worlds and distinguished them from the happily oblivious couples in the cafe.

Finally, Sasuke put his arms on the table and leaned forward, and in a half-whisper, asked, "Are you going to tell me what you wanted to tell me, or are we going to keep playing house like this?"

She blinked her green eyes innocently. "Playing house?"

"Talking about our preference for drinks like some infatuated middle school couple," her consort explicated, and settled against the back of his chair with his arms crossed.

Sakura placed her mug down carefully. She murmured, "I didn't mean to make it seem that way."

"I know_,"_ he said, and he meant it. "But tell me why you wanted to come here... Tell me what you want to say."

He didn't look away. Her heartbeat quickened.

"It's just that... I don't want you to get the wrong idea."

"About what?"

"About Sai-senpai."

He stared at her with a expression that apparently he meant to be blank, but seemed tinged with confusion and a hint of betrayal. "Hn," was all he said.

Sakura's eyebrow twitched, irked. "He's..." It was hard to find the right words. "He _was_ my first love."

"Oh," he said, quite coldly. "You said that earlier."

"Yes, but now.. it's different. Obviously. I don't love him anymore. And it's not like we will ever meet again. In fact, he said let's not when he left, so..."

"I see," said Sasuke, his voice still like ice.

_Geez, what can I say to stop making you so mad! _"After Okaa-san died... I felt lost."

Sasuke's expression immediately softened at the mention of her mother. With his cold act dropped, Sakura felt more comfortable to continue.

"I was in a really dark place. Dad had left us earlier on, so I felt abandoned and lonely and in desperate need of somebody to love me. And then he came around." She bit her lip, and looked away. "I fell in love with him, because he was everything I needed. But it was all an act," she continued. "The only reason he approached me was to use me... And after he screwed me over, I decided I wouldn't ever fall in love again."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "Is he the reason you hate men so much?"

"...Yes. And... my father, too. They both... really messed up my life, especially when I needed them the most." Sakura gazed into the eyes of the boy sitting across from her, and smiled. "But then I met you."

"Sakura..." He hesitated for a long moment, and glanced away. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you."

His face immediately flipped back to her, dark eyes boring into green with shock.

"I trust you," she repeated. "So I want you to trust me too. I want to tell you about everything. About my father, and Sai-senpai, and how things have started to change since I met you. Is that okay?"

They stared at each other for a long, long moment, a silent exchange passing between their gazes.

And then he nodded.

Sakura smiled. "But there's one condition," she said.

He finally spoke. "Which is...?"

"I need you to tell me what's going on, and what I should do."

_You see, I just realized a few minutes ago that I love you._

He gazed into her eyes, then glanced away at some far away inanimate object. "About?" he asked, trying to act like he didn't already know.

_What should I do about my feelings for you, Sasuke-kun?_

Sakura stood up out of her chair and grabbed his chin between her thumb and index finger, then turned it so that his eyes looked at hers. Her fingers pressed into the soft, white skin, and she vaguely wondered if she would leave a mark. She wished she would, so at least in some way, he'd possess a trace of her.

He looked at her with slightly widened eyes, the clear indicator of his surprise. Normally she would never make a physical move on him. She didn't quite understand it, either, but it felt like the right thing to do right now.

So she could connect to him.

_What should I do about the fact that I'm hopelessly in love with you?_

"About the fact that you're going to disappear when you turn eighteen," she said, and watched as his eyes widened.

_Sasuke-kun, I don't want you to go._

.

.

_don't leave me_

.

His lack of response made her feel increasingly worried. "Sasuke-kun."

He blinked a few times, his far away eyes coming back into focus. He reached up to take Sakura's thin hand from his chin, and he held her fingers gently in his own. "It's complicated."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want to tell you."

"Sasuke-kun. Please."

"Sakura, I'm a monster."

"You're a vampire."

"I'm a _monster_. You don't know what I've done."

"You've seduced girls and you've been using me for the past few months. I get it."

"I've done more than that."

"Sasuke-kun... that was your past, not who you are now." She pursed her lips, holding back a wave of extraordinarily jumbled emotions: frustration, and anger, and sadness, and worry, and anxiety... and warmth. Simmering, deep warmth."I want to hear it so that I can understand you."

"...Sakura, that's—" He didn't finish; instead, he froze in place and his eyes went wide. Sakura watched him for a minute, in urgent silence, until finally he asked, "Did you feel that?"

She blinked. "Feel what?"

He shot up out of his seat and rummaged in his pocket. "Kabuto's here," was all he said as he grabbed his wallet and threw a 10000 yen note on the table. "Let's go," he told Sakura in a hushed tone, and grabbed her arm. As soon as she was on her feet, he set out on a hasty, purposeful walk out of the cafe, ignoring the waitresses' calls of "Wait, sir!", and strode down the street.

"Where are we going?" she asked, alarmed and nearly stumbling from their quick pace.

"I don't know yet."

"Who is Kabuto?"

"A vampire who wants to kill you."

"Kill... me?" Sakura felt her blood go cold.

He slid his hand down onto hers so that they were holding hands. "He has a grudge against me."

Sakura paled. "Is he... Tayuya's friend?" she asked, a chill running down her spine as she remembered the day Tayuya brought a gang to kill her. _Sasuke-kun on the ground, Sasuke-kun bleeding, Sasuke-kun's body engulfed with black flame marks._

"No," he said promptly, "Orochimaru's favorite."

"Aren't _you_ his favorite?"

"No, I'm just a well-kept vessel." He glanced back at her. "I_ will_ tell you everything, Sakura. I will, though you might hate me because of it. You deserve to know. But right now, we need to run. Can you trust me on that?"

She met his eyes. "Didn't I already tell you?" she said, smiling despite the danger threatening to tear them apart. "I trust you."

He looked back at her with a smirk. "Good," he said, and gripped her hand tightly, "so don't be afraid to follow me."

.

.

_can you feel my quickened pulse?_

.

Kabuto was back.

More accurately, he'd never left.

Sasuke hadn't seen him, but he'd immediately recognized the faint presence seemingly surrounding the coffee shop. After spending years training in his presence, Sasuke well knew the subtle atmosphere of changed gravity that Kabuto emitted and left behind in his wake.

Because it shared the same alpha male electricity that Kakashi possessed.

Kabuto hated Kakashi. And therefore, Kabuto hated Sasuke. And, consequently, Kabuto hated Sakura. And he'd kill her, because he could.

In the recesses of his chest, Sasuke felt a deep, primitive thrill that spiked his heart rate. The idea of finding powerful prey excited his vampire self. And, at the same time, he was anxious as hell.

After hundreds of practice battles or escalated arguments against the silver-haired vampire, never once had Sasuke been able to defeat Kabuto.

But, tonight, for Sakura's sake, he'd have to.

.

.

_for her safety_

.

The two found themselves in the forest, with Sakura's chest heaving with pants and his thudding painfully. Snow began to drift around them, gently tumbling into their hair.

"Sasuke-kun," his consort whispered.

"What?"

"I'm afraid."

He looked at her. "I know," he said gently, and would have told her he felt the same. But for now, he needed to act strong and confident, even if his heart's quick pace said otherwise.

"Have you fought him before?" she asked, green eyes quivering.

"Yes," he said.

"...Is he strong?"

His hand gripped hers. "Very."

"Will he try to kill you, too?"

"He might."

She gripped his hand back.

Without warning, he took hold of her head with his free hand and tugged her towards him. Just as she was about to ask what the hell he was doing, she heard the sharp cut of air as something flew right behind her, and felt her heart begin to pound in her ears.

"Kabuto," said Sasuke, his chest vibrating slightly against Sakura's forehead.

"Sasuke-kun," replied a voice standing a few feet away. It sounded... friendly, and, when Sasuke dropped his hand and Sakura could look up, the general impression the speaker himself was also non-threatening. He wore round glasses, tied his silver hair back into a ponytail, and...

"Your eyes aren't red," she wondered aloud.

"Oh, I just ate," answered the silver-haired man, with a nonchalant shrug, and the seemingly casual words suddenly shot fear into her heart. "Besides, I'm quite capable of resisting thirst... unlike your boyfriend, here."

"Kabuto." A warning.

The older vampire grinned, revealing sharp teeth. "What? You haven't told her, yet?"

"Shut up."

"Haven't told her that you used to be a complete _monster_—oh, desperate, aren't you? How vulgar, grabbing the collar of someone older than you." Kabuto glared down with distaste at the future sovereign, who had sprang over to him with incredible speed.

Sasuke gripped the front of Kabuto's shirt with clenched fists. "I'm not like that anymore," Sasuke growled, pressing his face closer to meet Kabuto's eyes with a heavy glare.

"Then it doesn't hurt to let her know."

"That is my business and nobody else's."

"Isn't it her decision?"

"You will _not_ touch her."

Kabuto smiled. "Try to stop me."

"_I will kill you if you try_."

.

.

_Sasuke-kun_

.

"Hey, did you hear that, Sakura-chan?" Kabuto called out, and pointed a jagged fingernail at the boy gripping his shirt. "He said he'll kill me."

She stared at him, green eyes wide.

"Nothing to say, huh?" he laughed, with real humor in his voice.

Sasuke slammed Kabuto into a tree. "Stop messing with her," he said, the voice low.

"She's a human, Sasuke-kun, remember? You hate humans."

"It doesn't matter. She's mine."

"She's prey."

"She's _mine_."

"Will you kill her, too?"

"Shut _up_."

"That girl... she's pretty much the same age as all the other ones you killed."

"_Shut up_, Kabuto."

"You killed them all with no remorse. And yet for this girl..."

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke threw Kabuto to the side.

"It's only a matter of time until you can't resist. Of that, I am..." He dodged Sasuke's fangs, aimed for his neck, and leaped up into a high branch of a tree. "...absolutely sure," he finished, smirking.

Sakura finally became animated, turning to look at her consort. "Sasuke-kun... what does he mean?" she asked, her body trembling.

"Sakura..." he murmured, keeping his eyes on his target, who crouched on the tree branch. At any moment, he could attack...

"What does he mean you killed people?" she whispered, but the words weighed heavily in the air.

Slowly, he turned and looked at her.

And the expression he wore was one she'd never seen on his face before.

"Sasuke-kun—_MOVE!_"

.

.

_Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry_

_._

For the first time in her life, she saw Uchiha Sasuke looking like a little boy again, looking desperately as if he wanted to cry.

.

.

_I won't let you make that face ever again_

.

She'd seen the flash of silver, but despite her warning, Sasuke had only been able to jump back perhaps a foot.

And his speed right now wasn't enough to escape Kabuto's strategy and dexterity.

Kabuto held tightly onto both of Sasuke's wrists and his fangs tore into Sasuke's left deltoid muscle. The younger vampire wore a pained cringe, as crimson seeped through the tan color of his shirt. Sasuke's arms shook as he fought against Kabuto's hold, but the older vampire had more power and the advantage of height.

Kabuto had far more power than his slender figure suggested.

Sasuke tried to clear his head from the pain in his left shoulder. _Shit! He got my dominant arm! _But he couldn't afford to let the pain stop him.

He reached up with his leg and with his heel, he kicked the back of Kabuto's knee.

Suddenly Sasuke's shoulder felt cold, meeting the winter air as Kabuto's fangs pulled away. The silver-haired vampire started to fall backward, but without releasing Sasuke's wrists, used the momentum to swing himself around and instead throw Sasuke to the ground.

_Damn it!_ he cursed, as he stared up at Kabuto's smirk._  
><em>

As he fell, Kakashi's warning rang in his ears: _You're starting to indulge in human life. __Don't you remember what you vowed in front of me the day I convinced Orochimaru to let you spend your childhood out in the human world? I thought you wanted to defeat Orochimaru and gain your freedom. What happened? Where is the ambition you so blindingly ran after?_

His shoulders hit the ground first, and then the back of his head. An empty gasp escaped the younger vampire's mouth. The impact against the ground left Sasuke's lungs empty of air, and as he struggled to take his next breath, felt the bottom of Kabuto's foot press into his chest.

And Sasuke's sudden epiphany came far too late to save him.

_It's not that Kabuto is too strong._

_It's that I have become too weak._

Kabuto lifted his foot and smashed it into the fallen vampire's ribs.

_._

_._

_I'm the one who's sorry, Sakura_

.

_Sasuke-kun killed people._

_Sasuke-kun killed girls like me._

_Sasuke-kun is a monster._

_I understand that._

_I understand that he can kill me at any time if his thirst overwhelms him._

_I understand that I'm in danger by being beside him._

_But even so, I can't help it._

_I can't help but think, "Ah, that doesn't matter anymore."_

_I want to be with him, even if he's a murderer._

_Oh._

_I remember now._

_This is why __I didn't want to fall in love with somebody ever again._

_Because..._

_It hurts so much._

.

.

_but this time, I'll make it work_

.

Sasuke's shriek sent a powerful chill through Sakura's body.

"Sasuke-kun!" she cried. God, it was all her fault! See'd let fear overtake her when she should have trusted Sasuke's words. She said she trusted him. _Damn it!_ How could she have let herself be blinded by Kabuto's words?

Kabuto dropped Sasuke's wrists now, and the boy's arms flung to the ground, limp and powerless.

And again, he lifted his foot to stomp into Sasuke's chest.

"NO!"

Sakura charged forward and unthinkingly threw herself onto him, effectively knocking him to the floor with her weight on top of his. They landed just a few feet away from Sasuke, whose face had gone white with the pain of his broken ribs. She propped herself up, sitting on the man's stomach, and glared down at the dark eyes, which looked back at her coldly. Anger made her brows contort and her hands shake as she gripped the front of his shirt.

She took a tight hold on his collar, tugging his face just a few inches closer to hers. "I'll protect him too," she said, speaking to the man below her. "I'll protect Sasuke-kun, so don't you dare neglect me."

"For a human, you are surprisingly brave," he said, smirking, and reaching up to caress her face. "And beautiful, indeed. Orochimaru-sama will be pleased..."

And before she could retort, asking what that comment was supposed to mean, he suddenly took hold of her wrists. Then he rolled her onto her back, immediately switching their positions as he straddled her.

The steady smile he wore looked immensely calculating and cold as he looked down at her.

His dark eyes flashed.

_He let me tackle him! _Sakura realized, her eyes widening. _He let me knock him down so that this could happen! _And she gasped, out of breath from the sudden forced roll, and struggled to get out from under him. His legs, muscular and hard, kept her torso locked in position and her arms, already in his grasp, were left to the mercy of his powerful hands.

_No, my legs are free! I can kick him!_

But it was already late. "_Don't move, little girl,_" he commanded, smirking, and let go of her arms.

Sakura felt the familiar feel of the commanding words controlling her body. It felt like a chilling mist, creeping along her appendages and into her torso, rendering her helpless as her energy suddenly deserted her body, leaving her cold and unable to move.

_He can control! _The unexpected realization gripped at her chest as she stared up at him, immobilized. Her voice just wouldn't come, the dryness in her throat becoming painful. He tilted his head down towards hers, as he wore a dangerous smile, displaying huge, sharp fangs, so unlike the gentle pointed teeth that Sasuke maintained.

"Do you love him?" he suddenly asked, peering down at her. "You love him, don't you?"

She stared at him, but gave no answer.

"Love is a disgusting emotion. Besides, the Sasuke you know isn't going to be around for much longer. Has he told you about that yet? About the fact that when he turns eighteen, his body won't belong to him anymore?"

A flush of impossible coldness swept through Sakura's body, leaving her more frozen than Kabuto's control had rendered her.

_When he turns eighteen, Sasuke-kun's body... won't belong to him... anymore?_

"Your eyes are very expressive," said Kabuto, smiling with that frightening friendliness. "Despite trying to act fierce, you wear fear beautifully. Orochimaru-sama will be very, very pleased with you. But before he can take you..."

He pressed his lips against her throat, and his fingers trailed up her thigh. Even though the leggings she wore, she could sense the incredible coldness of his hands.

"...for now, I'll claim you as my own," he murmured, and bared his fangs.


	28. intention

[A/N] Hi. Update. Yeah. Sorry I've been so MIA! I took a break from ffnet but I'm back... for now. I was convinced by the reviews and PMs you guys left me, thanks for all the feedback. (personal: I've started writing another chapter fic called **chasing rubies, chasing gold** which is an AU about a big delinquent turf war between Suna and Konoha, please read if interested~ it's gonna be short, though, I'm predicting five chapters)

Warning: This is rather awful to read. Not as in gruesome, but. Violence. Skip if you'd like.

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

28} intention  
>.<p>

.

_I will do anything to protect you_

.

A scream echoed through the forest. Had there been birds, they would've flown away, startled—but instead there was only a chilly wind to answer the shrill female cry.

Snowflakes drifted slowly, slowly down. A few drifted onto the nape of the bigger of the boys, glistening and melding into the silver of his hair. Others landed on the black jacket of a boy who lay trembling on the ground, curled up, holding his stomach as he gasped for air. And some melted into red, as they fluttered into a small puddle of blood, dripping from the pierced throat of a human girl.

Sakura's cry was cut short as a large hand slapped over her mouth.

"Quiet, now," the voice by her throat murmured. "Screaming won't solve anything."

Sakura's heart slammed painfully against her chest, but the fright-induced thudding was nothing compared to the intensity of the pain by her throat. Her blood was warm against her neck, as it slid from the punctures in her flesh, down her nape and dripped onto the dirt. The thick liquid felt so heated compared to the chilly feel of Kabuto's lips against her throat.

Her vision went hazy as memories flashed by in rapid succession.

_The navy sofa._

_Sharp teeth sinking slowly into her throat._

_Sasuke's dark gaze, quiet and deep._

_Lean, strong arms holding her._

_Jealousy._

_Forced kisses._

_Gentle kisses._

_The cherry blossom pin._

_Heated breath against her ears._

_Warmth, warmth._

The lips against her throat were so cold and unfamiliar that she wanted to scream again.

.

.

_let's get out of this together_

.

"Sakura-chan. Come here. Just for a second."

"Hm? What is it, Okaa-san?"

"I... Sakura, I'm so sorry. Your father has... he's..."

"Otou-san?—ah, oh no, Okaa-san, don't cry. Hey? Tell me what's wrong."

"Your father and I don't... He's abandoned us. He's gone."

"...Eh?"

"He's left us for another woman."

.

.

_let me find my escape in you_

.

When I was six, I dreamed about meeting a prince.

He didn't need have a white horse, or own a mansion or have a lot of money or even be handsome. I wasn't that idealistic. I didn't really think my life would be a fairytale. I didn't want a fairytale, anyway. I wanted something real and tangible and beautiful. I wanted my own story.

I just wanted to meet a charming guy that would sweep me off my feet, the same way my dad swept my mom off her feet.

That kind of uninhibited, free. unstoppable kind of love.

.

.

_let me find my dream in you_

.

The dark eyes went wide.

In almost slow motion, he fell backwards as the small white hands suddenly reached up and pushed him off the slender body. Adrenaline pumped through the human girl's veins, giving her a boost in power and courage, and he watched as the girl climbed unsteadily to her feet, blood seeping from her neck into her sweater, dying the white stripes of the material with blotches of angry red.

Her body couldn't help but tremble, yet in contradiction, the green gaze was on fire. The eyes were angry and bold and fierce, so unlike the other humans he had preyed on before.

"You," she said, pointing an accusing (and quivering) finger at him, "I refuse to let you win."

He gazed at her for a silent moment, looking up at her blankly. Then he began to chuckle. "Interesting! Ha!" he cried, his entire body shaking with laughter, "You've discovered the secret, haven't you? Fear of the user is what makes the control spell work!"

Sakura pressed her mouth into a thin line.

_It's not that I'm not scared of you... I am. I'm scared to death right now._

Wearing a glare, she curled her fingers into tight fists and gathered all the measly courage in her body to her throat.

_It's just that I'm more afraid of losing Sasuke-kun than I am of getting hurt by you._

"I won't let Sasuke-kun continue to get hurt by himself anymore!" Sakura shouted. "You—this vampire society, and this Orochimaru person that wants to take Sasuke's body—what is going on?! Why does he want to use Sasuke-kun? Why can he only stay here until he's eighteen?"

"He really hasn't told you any important details, eh?" Kabuto said, still chuckling. "Oblivious, aren't you? But if you knew the truth, you would probably leave him. I'm sure that's what he was afraid of."

Sakura defensively took a step back, and blinked: a mistake—by the time she opened her eyes, the silver-haired vampire stood in front of her, grasping her wrists in his cold fingers and his smirk in immediate proximity to her forehead. She swung her leg back to kick him, but his eye was too quick. With an unexpected shove against her shoulder, he had her knocked down to the floor and out of breath before she could even initiate the kick.

"I didn't really want to bruise you up, but this might be necessary," he said, and without further ado, kicked the girl's side so hard she flipped over onto her stomach. Sakura's cheek slammed into the dirt, and she could feel a small rock cut through her flesh. Tears sprang to her eyes, and though her mouth gaped open, no sound came out, just a bit of air that unsettled the dirt.

Before she could push herself off the ground, she was kicked again, flipped onto her back so hard she automatically shut her eyes and would have let out a cry if she'd had the breath. When she opened her eyes, the shadowed face of her predator gazed down at her mercilessly. She looked up at him, too dazed to try anything further, and the pain from being kicked on both sides left her incapable of standing up or breathing without pain.

"Listen to me, little girl. A human like you can't do anything to save little Sasuke-kun, alright? He's done for. No hope, no chance. Orochimaru-sama has graciously allowed this child to live outside until his eighteenth birthday, but as soon as that day comes, he's gone." Kabuto crouched down next to her. With long fingers, he took hold of the short pink hair and yanked the girl up into a sitting position. He dragged her face towards his, letting the breath from his mouth warm her ear. "Your precious Sasuke-kun is only a vessel. Understand? Even his brother couldn't stop Orochimaru-sama. What makes you think that worthless brat could do to stop his undeniable fate?"

She silently gave him the darkest, coldest glare she could, rebelling the best she could.

"You make me feel sick," he murmured. Still gripping her hair, he slammed the back of her head into the ground; pain shot through her skull, and her vision became a blur. The near-loss of her sight made his spoken words sound so much clearer: "You make me want to kill that arrogance of yours."

He took hold of her hair again, using her hair to pull her up again to a half-sitting position. He took gleeful notice of the blood dripping down from the cut in her cheek, mixing with her tears.

"This is why I hate humans. You act so tough, declaring impossible things, and in the end you're too weak to accomplish anything at all." His tone was warm, friendly and casual. "Don't worry, I won't kill you, because Orochimaru-sama has interest in you. And I won't kill Sasuke-kun either, because we need his body. But nobody said anything about bringing you to that threshold where you almost can't quite tell if you're still breathing or not."

He met her eyes for a moment, and smiled before licking the dripping crimson off her pale skin, leaving a glimmering trail of saliva on her cheek.

Though she willed it, Sakura couldn't stop her tears from trickling down her face, a manifestation of her weakness.

"Isn't this exciting, Sakura-chan?" He bared his fangs; her eyes widened as she suddenly understood what he was about to do. "Let's play."

He grasped her arm and tore open the sleeve of her sweater with one rip that rendered the knitted cloth completely irreparable. One hand gripped her left arm's thin wrist, keeping it immobile, while the other wrapped around her neck to hold her up in a sitting position. It would have been a loving embrace except that his fangs proceeded to puncture her flesh.

The pain shot through the limb immediately, almost as if she'd been hit by a bullet. Wordless screams escaped Sakura's lips, and though she struggled, she could hardly make sense of what was happening, still dizzy from the impact of being repeatedly thrown against the ground.

Again, and again, his fangs dug into various parts of her arm, leaving matching bleeding marks everywhere, and soon she could comprehend nothing but the pain of her torn and bleeding body, and the quiet words that left her heart frozen.

"You're useless, aren't you? Like this, you're nothing but a burden to Sasuke."

.

.

_it's true, humans are weak_

.

"But doesn't he love you, Okaa-san?"

"Sakura..."

"He—he always loved you, didn't he? He swept you off your feet—you always said... why?!"

"Shh. I know. I know, Sakura. Look at me, sweetheart, and listen. If you find someone you love, you have to promise me that you won't give everything up for him. Not your money, your friends or your life. Promise me, now."

"I promise, Okaa-san."

.

.

_but isn't that why we need each other?_

.

_I'm sorry, Okaa-san. In the end, I lied to you._

_Honestly, I don't think I can keep that promise anymore_.

.

_that's why I definitely won't let you go_

.

"Finally," Kabuto said, pulling his fangs away from Sakura's shoulder, "I was wondering how much longer I was going to have to amuse myself with this girl before you woke up."

The figure rose unsteadily to his feet. The silhouette was somewhat grotesque, lopsided and stiff; one arm loosely hanging down as the other gripped broken ribs.

"No reply, otouto-kun?"

The slender figure stopped, and the head lifted up. "Let go of her," he whispered, but in the silence of the forest and snow, the words could be clearly heard. They held an air of arrogance, expecting obedience from the older vampire.

_He's a sovereign to be, after all. _Kabuto simply met his eyes. "I refuse. But, just to let you know, we were originally planning on killing her. Luckily for you, we reconsidered. Be grateful. Oh, and Tayuya was punished properly for trying to touch our property—your body, I mean." Kabuto licked his lips, cleaning off the blood. "She shouldn't have gone after you that second time, ignoring our orders."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You killed her?"

Kabuto's lips curled into a dark smile. "Of course. Just like Sakura-chan will be, someday, when you disappear."

The effect was immediate: The red eyes went wide. Uncontrollable anger pulsed through Sasuke's body, like a shock wave, and within seconds, the familiar tattoo-like black marks began to spread across the pale skin. A burst of energy manifested around the figure as the curse seal let loose the dark power contained in the slender body.

Gravity seemed to shift.

Kabuto shrank slightly back on instinct, with eyes narrowed, as he took a defensive position, but his hands still gripped the limp body of the human girl. But he smiled, too. "Releasing the curse seal. You're desperate."

The boy stood up straight, the red eyes sharp, both arms dropped; his pain was forgotten in the rush of power.

"I've... already hurt her enough," he murmured, and then his lean body lunged, fangs bared and nails raised. "No_ fucking_ way will I let you touch what belongs to me!"

.

.

_let me protect you_

.

_I wonder why it is that I can't ever protect you? __All I'm good at is being a target. It's troubling, Sasuke-kun. I hate it. I hate being so useless.__  
><em>

"Ha! The curse seal certainly gives you some strength, doesn't it?! Come, Sasuke-kun! Show me your power!"

_Hey, I can hear that bastard's voice. __But… Curse seal? You told me about it before, Sasuke-kun, but I still don't really understand._

"Shut the_ hell_ up!"

_You sound so angry, Sasuke-kun. It's for my sake, isn't it?_

"Ah? Are you coming at me with the intent to kill?"

_He keeps baiting you. I wonder why. Is it fun to be like that? To take advantage of another's weaknesses?_

"Come on, Sasuke-kun, prove to me you haven't weakened since joining the humans, otherwise Orochimaru will be pleased to hear this news."

_I can't forgive him for hurting you, Sasuke-kun. __Absolutely cannot forgive. __But why can't I ever be of help to you? In the end, I'm useless, just like Kabuto said, and I keep dragging you down. You keep getting hurt because of me._

_I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry._

_I'm sorry._

_I want to be able to say other words, but I don't have that right. At this point, I can only apologize._

.

.

_I just want you to look at me_

.

Kabuto's blood felt as if it were boiling; the excitement simmered all throughout his body. _It's been a while since he's gone all-out, _he thought, carefully watching the movements of the other vampire. _Usually he's never serious..._

The boy lunged, and Kabuto quickly sidestepped the attack and dodged the left-hook punch that followed immediately after. Normally Sasuke calculated all his attacks, and often a battle between the two of them resulted in a mind game. But this was totally different from the Uchiha's typical clean and precise style—it was a messy and instinctive, an onslaught of attacks. Kabuto stayed cautious, depending on his slipping skills to stay out of harm's way, but the lack of predictability forced him to rely on his body's practiced skills rather than the expansive and exhaustive abilities of his mind.

He hastily jumped back, narrowly dodging the sharp fangs aimed at his throat. He needed to be careful and watch, for now, until figuring out Sasuke's attack pattern. Then he could make a counterattack and take the boy down...

"You're not trying hard enough, boy!" Kabuto taunted, and leapt up into a tree. "Didn't you want to protect your beloved princess?"

Sasuke lunged after him, fangs shining, but before they made contact, Kabuto jumped down to where the limp body of the girl lay.

_Check how much his power has diminished_, Orochimaru had ordered him, and so here he was, fighting a grown-up, animal-like version of a boy, a child he used to watch cry desperately after every mission. If he had to say it, Kabuto probably did have a soft spot for the younger Uchiha brother, but the feeling was certainly warped. He was well aware that his tenderness towards Sasuke made things complicated, and he showed his liking of the boy in a cruel way.

"The things I do for you, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto muttered, wanting to laugh again. But bitterly, this time. This time, he might actually die. Those red eyes, directed right on him, meant anything but good, but Kabuto felt nothing but profound excitement at the prospect of it.

Because in his world, ruled with the dark hand of Orochimaru, frankly, death sounded like freedom. So without further ado, Kabuto took the girl's body and bit into her throat.

.

.

_so won't you look at me?_

.

The sun was beginning to set, setting an orange glow that peeked between the empty spaces in the forest foliage of pine needles. Kabuto gripped the human girl's body, pulling his bloodied teeth out of her flesh as he silently watched the sunset-lit silhouette of Uchiha Sasuke morph into his most powerful form, the one that was only released when full hatred and anger took possession of his mind, and the one that sucked away his life force most powerfully.

Huge hand-shaped wings sprouted from his back, stretching up and then curling around, like a shield for the slender body. The skin started to darken, turning gray-purple, and his lips darkened. A black mark, the shape of a warped diamond, spread from the middle of his face; one point of the shape reached his forehead, two under his eyes, and one down his nose. His lips and eyes darkened, as well, resulting in a horribly grotesque figure that was more akin to a demon than a human.

Ultimately, Uchiha Sasuke was just another of Orochimaru's experiments. _Hatred turns you into something inhuman, after all, _Orochimaru had previously said_, so don't you think this is a suitable form? _At that time, Kabuto had had only a smile and an obedient, "Of course," to say. He'd had no emotions, feeling nothing about seeing Sasuke's ugly, demonic curse seal form.

But now.

"Finally," Kabuto murmured, "you're coming at me with the intent to kill."


	29. reality

[A/N] Nearing the 30th chapter :O Wow wow wow. Also, finished my last final today; my freshman year of college is officially over:) (Yeah guys I'm old XD I turn 19 in like two weeks too. The crazy thing is, I started this story the summer before junior year of high school.)

I never expected to get this far with this story. The reviews you guys write for me really mean a lot... There were so many times I was going to give up this story, but then I'd read through all the reviews and be like, "Well, _somebody_ likes this story so I should write it, right?" Thanks so much!

And so! Enjoy the chapter, sorry about being slow, and happy reading~! BUT YOU GUYSSS I THINK YOU'LL LIKE THIS CHAPTER HEH.

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

29} reality

.

.

_someday, all this pain will be only a memory_

.

It wasn't every day that Orochimaru brought back a human boy to the Bloody Society. In fact, the situation itself was practically a disgrace. Some of the newer vampires had gasped aloud at the outrageous action, but did not dare question the decisions made by their powerful, bloodthirsty new sovereign. _You question him, you get your head torn off, _was the typical rumor floating around, and Kabuto couldn't exactly dispel it, either—since it was true. Not that anyone had to guts to approach him and ask anyway.

But unlike the other vampires, Kabuto felt no surprise or horror as his master stepped into the private room, the retrieved Uchiha child trailing behind him. After all, the human boy's presence meant the plan had gone perfectly. Noble-blood Itachi had 'run off', the boy blamed his older brother for the Uchiha massacre, and Orochimaru appeared to be his savior.

All his master's manipulation of innocent souls, of course, but what did it matter? Adding a tinge of hatred to everything was Orochimaru's personal hobby, and he always won.

"Welcome back, Orochimaru-sama," said Kabuto, offering a brief but respectably low bow. Though he already knew the answer, for the sake of propriety and appearances, he asked, "And who is that behind you?"

"My new treasure." Orochimaru stepped to the side to reveal the face of the human boy. "Uchiha Sasuke."

The cheeks were still youthfully round, but the large dark eyes betrayed a maturity superior to an eight-year-old's level; there was a murderous, fiery anger, ill-fitting the childish face. But still, the little hands fearfully clutched the older man's pants. As a child, naturally he was still wary of new environments. The one he'd thought was stable, his home and family life, had just been destroyed after all, and furthermore by his own trusted older brother.

Kabuto eyed the younger Uchiha brother with heavy-lidded eyes, feeling something akin to pity for the boy; he was being lied to and manipulated by the man whose pants he was desperately gripping. But, it was not his place to reveal the truth.

There was silence for a moment, as the older men waited to see if the eight-year-old boy would speak. He didn't.

Instead, Kabuto bent down to introduce himself. "Hi, Sasuke-kun. I'm Kabuto, Orochimaru's... medical assistant." Despite being Orochimaru's closest aide, even Kabuto didn't know all the details; neither of them fully trusted each other. How much did Orochimaru tell this boy?

"Are you a vampire, too?" asked the boy sullenly, eyes narrowed.

"Yes." Kabuto nearly smiled. "But I'm the good kind."

"Not like Nii... not like Itachi?"

"No. I'm very in control of my thirst, unlike your older brother."

"I..." The dark eyes seemed to light ablaze with fiery anger. "...am going to kill that man."

"Good," remarked Kabuto, letting a smile crack his cold visage. "That anger is what will keep you alive."

.

.

_hate me, and live_

.

Kabuto watched from afar, contemplating.

_He's the next, _Orochimaru had told him. _That beautiful body will be mine._

But the younger Uchiha brother was still under the impression that he was free, free to go off and kill Itachi, unaware of Orochimaru's plan to steal his body after he taken down the man he hated.

"Why won't you kill them, Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto called, his voice echoing in the practice arena. "They're only human prey, after all."

With a scowl, the future sovereign replied, "There's only one man I want to kill. Compared to him, they're not worth killing."

The tone was cold and the gaze was indifferent, but Kabuto could see the truth. He had always been too kind-hearted, that little Uchiha boy, unwilling to kill unless he absolutely had to.

.

.

_you have to live, Sasuke_

.

Multiple trials of the curse seal left tens of corpses behind, and the success rate was determined to be approximately 1/10.

"It's hatred," Orochimaru told him one day. "Only those who can hold immense hatred in their heart can survive the curse seal, and learn to wield its power."

"Is it because the curse seal is so powerful?" Kabuto inquired, as he began to dispose of the body.

"The curse seal isn't powerful in itself; it's only as strong as the one who uses it."

"Yet so many die..."

"Are you sad to see them go, Kabuto?"

The silver-haired vampire chuckled. "Orochimaru-sama, if I were so sentimental with my test subjects, I think I would have quit this work years ago."

"True," replied the sovereign. "I'm glad you aren't. I like your callousness."

Kabuto gave him a brief smile before turning back to the dead subject in front of him. Suddenly, he asked out of curiosity, "Are there people you hate, Orochimaru-sama?"

The man flashed him a dark smile. "Of course I've already killed them all," replied Orochimaru, licking his lips.

.

.

_find the right answer before you let go_

.

With the first kill, Sasuke's sanity began to wane.

It wasn't noticeable, at first. But the bloodshot eyes from sleepless nights were more than enough indication of the boy's failure to take care of himself.

Kabuto watched, but said nothing, knowing this was the path all of Orochimaru's followers eventually had to take.

.

.

_beginning to lose sight of what is truly important_

.

"Are you sure about this?"

"If it gives me the power to kill _that man_, I don't care what you do to me."

"It's extremely likely that you'll die, you know." Kabuto didn't know why he was trying to persuade the boy otherwise. Maybe it was that odd near-pity again. "And the mark is painful regardless of whether it kills you or not." _And it marks you as his. You'll never be able to escape him if you do this. What are you, an idiot?_

The inky eyes stared at him, defiant and proud. "As if I'll die before I can kill that man," said Sasuke arrogantly, his gaze narrowing.

Kabuto looked at him for a long moment, before murmuring, "Hatred is all you have right now, isn't it?"

The Uchiha didn't give a reply, only stared sullenly into an unseen distance.

.

.

_but..._

.

"He won't lose, that boy."

"What makes you say that, Kakashi-san?" Kabuto tilted his head to give the older man a curious look.

The man smiled. "Nothing," he said, "I have no evidence."

"It's absolutely certain that Orochimaru will win this battle."

"I wasn't talking about this particular fight," Kakashi said softly, overlooking the arena, where ten-year-old Uchiha Sasuke stood snarling at the vampire sovereign.

"Then what _are_ you talking about?"

"You'll see," said the older man wearily, as he turned to walk away. "Perhaps in a few years."

Kabuto called after him, "You won't watch this fight?"

"Not this one," Kakashi answered, and set off with a small wave. "I'll wait until the time to watch over him comes."

Kabuto watched him go, mulling over the cryptic words until he decided it didn't really matter. With the curse seal, Sasuke didn't have a chance.

.

.

_is hatred really the most powerful feeling?_

.

"It seems that Itachi has set things up so that Sasuke-kun discovered the truth..."

"Kabuto." Orochimaru turned his head to the younger vampire behind him a long stare, the long hair trailing over the bony shoulder. "Regardless of how much he knows, that boy can never stop me."

The silver-haired vampire said not a word, but remembered what Kakashi had told him a few months ago. _He won't lose, that boy._

But there was no way he couldn't. Looking at his master, Kabuto almost shook his head; that Uchiha kid was done for.

"He can't kill me," murmured Orochimaru, speaking to the moonlight, "because whether he admits it or not, he's deathly afraid of me and all I symbolize to him." He grinned maliciously, the moonlight layering his snake-like face in dark shadows. "In order to come after me, he'll have to give up that tiny bit of humanity he has left, and that's something he could never do... because it's the only thing he has left that's 'him'."

.

.

_it's not hatred, I'm sure_

.

"Do you want to escape?"

Sasuke didn't look up. The shadow of the older vampire darkened the floor by where Sasuke sat on his knees, fists tight and shaking.

"Uchiha Sasuke. I asked you a question." A warm hand pressed into Sasuke's shoulder and pulled him around.

"Kakashi." The dark eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What do you mean escape?"

"Escape from here, in general. I can get you out for a couple years, at least." The silver-haired man offered a brief smile, behind a gray mask. "And we can try living in the human world. But on a condition."

Sasuke peered at him, twelve years old and shaken but still aching for something, _something_, to make him feel alive again.

"What's the condition?" he asked, feeling something sparking inside of him.

"Defeat Orochimaru with everything you've got," said the older man.

No, it wasn't just sparking, but something within him catching on fire, and about to explode.

.

.

_neither is it love_

.

"Very cute."

Kabuto watched, rather amused, as Uchiha Sasuke stepped back to admire a flower pin he'd just slipped into the girl's hair. Clearly Orochimaru's future vessel hadn't noticed his presence; all day Kabuto had trailed the two on their outing and yet there was no recognition of his presence.

Somehow that human girl took up all of his attention.

"Sakura suits Sakura, after all."

"I don't wear hairpins."

"It's not like there's much else you can do with that short hair of yours." The boy took some of her hair and ran some of it between his fingers. "Grow it out again."

"I was already planning on doing that."

"Good."

She had turned away, so she didn't see the look in the boy's eyes as he smirked at her, but Kabuto saw it all too clearly: a sincere smile, without anger, without hatred, no touch of Orochimaru tainting that pure happiness he wore on his lips.

That boy was playing human, growing weaker and weaker as he gave into a fake persona of himself.

"But you aren't human, Sasuke-kun," Kabuto muttered, "and you will never be."

.

.

_more than hatred, more than even love, it's..._

.

The intent to kill.

Kabuto's flash of memories abruptly ended as the lithe body of his attacker leapt towards him. It was absolute fury, Kabuto realized, that reflected in the inky eyes of the Uchiha survivor, and he nearly fell backwards as the black eyes shot closer. He quickly managed to side-step a lunge for his throat, but as the body seemed to sail past, Sasuke's arm suddenly thrust out.

His nails, huge and thick now, like his fangs, shot out and sank into Kabuto's shoulder.

Kabuto let out a gasp as he felt the sharp pain, but instead of letting it immobilize him, gripped the wrist of his attacker and yanked it away from him. He could see his own blood drip from the slender fingers, dark crimson and thick.

His dark eyes narrowed. This wasn't the Uchiha Sasuke he had known; this was a real monster. Never before had he seen the boy drop to such an animal level. The boy had always been too afraid of that side of him, fighting it constantly, despite his arrogant-sounding words back then when receiving the curse seal that marked him as Orochimaru's.

_If it gives me the power to kill that man, I don't care what you do to me._

And yet the missions Orochimaru had sent him on, to prey upon political figures of the human world, had corrupted the boy's soul, so much that he had been afraid to let loose after his first unintended murder. Kabuto had seen the terror in the boy's eyes that day as the child lost a piece of his humanity, and little by little, each passing day, the Uchiha had seemed to become less and less of a living person and more so into a weapon.

He had slowly become an unemotional shell of a living creature, all according to Orochimaru's plan... until Itachi was killed, and Sasuke had learned the truth about the manipulation he had tangled himself so much into, and desired so much now to escape. To escape back into the human world, and salvage the lost bit of humanity he had left. The boy's humanity was the only thing linking him to a happier life.

Yet now, despite all those years of trying to save himself, right now, fighting with Kabuto, Sasuke seemed to be truly giving up his humanity... all for_ her_ sake. That Haruno Sakura.

As the pale fingers of the boy he'd raised wrapped around his throat, Kabuto almost grinned. _Well, I'd wanted to play around a little more, but I think I understand, now. _Kabuto surrendered to the boy he'd raised. Check how much his power has diminished? What a joke. Orochimaru was well aware of how little power Kabuto had left... this had clearly been a suicide mission, to see if Sasuke still relied on the curse seal.

As he pushed up towards the sky, lifted up by the hands on his throat, Kabuto briefly looked down and met the dark eyes of Sasuke's inhuman form. Then his eyes flickered towards the slender figure of the human girl, who was beginning to stir again.

He watched her begin to pull herself up, then glanced back at his attacker. The expression of the monster didn't change. Kabuto smiled at him with the last bit of strength he had left, and closed his eyes.

"Don't lose," he managed to choke out.

.

.

_the answer is hope, isn't it?_

.

It wasn't pity that he had felt for the boy, Kabuto realized, as his vision faded to a soft white. It was realizing that this confused, mislead boy had so much potential to lead a better life than the one of hatred he was set on.

But finally he could see what Kakashi had been referring to about Sasuke. He didn't need hatred to defeat Orochimaru after all.

In order to be with that girl, in order to protect Haruno Sakura, that boy would definitely keep on fighting, and give up everything in the process, even his most precious humanity.

_What an idiot you are, Uchiha Sasuke, _was Kabuto's last thought. But there was no malice, only perhaps a hint of fondness and hope.

.

.

_that's right_

.

There wasn't much going on in her mind, only some willful urge to get up. She struggled, slowly rising from the ground, her arms weak from the multiple bite marks and her head feeling heavy yet paradoxically light on her hurt neck. Blood trickled down her body.

_Get up._

She pressed her palms into the ground and tried to push herself off. Her thin arms trembled, lacking the strength she needed.

_Get up, Sakura!_

She grit her teeth and pushed, pushed, pushed, and like a newborn calf, rose onto weak legs, swaying unsteadily as she tried to walk. Dizziness kept her from keeping her back straight; gravity seemed to be wanting to push her head down, back onto the ground, and her stomach churned.

She forced herself onto her hands and knees, about to rise up, but when she lifted her head and focused her gaze as best she could, what she saw shocked her.

The silver-haired vampire, in the air, held by his neck with some kind of purple-gray monster with terrifying wings. Sakura choked down the bile threatening to rise up, and stepped back out of pure fear.

There was a loud crack, resounding through the empty forest, and Kabuto fell to the ground, limp.

Sakura stared, wanting to flee but unable to tear her eyes away from the body on the ground. Suddenly her stomach lurched, and she turned vomited onto the dying grass and dirt. The taste was sour in her mouth as all the coffee she'd drank earlier spilled out.

_No. You have to get up._

She spat out what she could, wiped her mouth with the ripped pieces of her sweater's sleeve, and tried to rise to her feet.

_You have to save Sasuke-kun!_

_You have to save him._

_Get up, Sakura!  
><em>

But remaining here was only a grotesque monster in his clothes, with killing intent glinting in his pure black eyes, striding over towards her with malicious intent in his eyes.

And she simply couldn't move.

.

.

_run, Sakura  
><em>

.

_Why isn't she running?_

_Why the fuck isn't she running?!_

_GODDAMMIT, Sakura, you_ _idiot!_

_RUN AWAY FROM ME BEFORE I KILL YOU!_

.

.

_run!  
><em>

.

As the horrifying figure strode towards her, Sakura sat there like a deer caught in headlights, her heart thumping wildly. Her ears were unable to hear anything but the rush of her blood and the quiet steps of a predator coming for her.

_No, no, no._

Her instinct was to run.

_You have to save Sasuke-kun._

But her body couldn't move.

_Get up, Sakura._

_Get up!_

.

.

_where are you?_

.

And before she knew it, she was slammed onto her back and fangs were tearing into her throat; sharp nails cut through the epidermis of her arms and shoulders, creating even more trails of blood, and she was hit with the realization that this monster truly wasn't her Sasuke-kun after all.

Uchiha Sasuke. His pale, aristocratic face with the constant smirk. Pieces of dark hair covering his forehead. Inky eyes, always looking at her, smoldering with a hidden fire.

But this. The dark face. The black mark on his face. The hand-like wings extending from his back. None of it was Uchiha Sasuke, because there was not a hint of humanity in this creature that looked at her like an animal ready to be eaten.

_He's a monster, Haruno-san_, she remembered the nurse saying, and grit her teeth.

_I know_, she had replied, but looking at this creature now, she realized she had known nothing about her vampire consort after all.

.

.

_where did you go, Sasuke-kun?_

.

She remembered crying into his chest, murmuring her fears of being alone, and his arms cradling her.

"Sakura... You don't need to be alone. What do you think I'm here for?"

Out loud, she'd said she didn't trust him. But in her heart, she knew, he'd healed her with those words, and from then on, she couldn't ignore how he shook up her heart.

_I need you, Sasuke-kun._

Maybe she didn't know enough about Uchiha Sasuke, but she knew enough of what she needed to do.

.

.

_I don't want you to go_

.

Suddenly her arms reached up and wrapped around the monster's waist in a loose embrace, as he was tugged close to her chest with the little bit of power she had left in her torn body. His fangs left her throat as he pulled his head up to gaze down at her, surprised, even as a monster. This wasn't the Sasuke she knew, but he was in there, _somewhere. _She couldn't help but cry, her nose red and tears messily dripping down the sides of her face, as her fingertips pressed in his back.

She was scared to death. But she couldn't ignore her feelings for Uchiha Sasuke, either.

"Sasuke-kun, please," she murmured. "Please don't go."

She wrapped her arms around him even tighter. She looked at him, the expressionless face with that gaze so foreign and yet familiar to her. Confusion outweighed all of her other emotions, but there was this kind of omen, spreading out like a cold chill, that warned her if she didn't stop him now, Sasuke would never come back.

And there was no way she'd let that happen, because finally...

"No matter what evil you are, even if you're going to disappear, for the time that we have, I've decided to stay by your side."

...she had found somebody she would love with everything she had.

"So please, please, don't leave me behind anymore."

The monster suddenly tore out of her grasp; her arms fell limp back down to her sides as she lay flat on the ground. She looked at him as he looked at her with narrowed eyes, that face so distorted from the beautiful face of her next door neighbor.

It always happened; the people she loved always disappeared from her. The moment she'd accepted her feelings, they were gone, leaving her behind. Just like how children threw away their broken toys, it was simply her reality. Sakura closed her eyes, surrendering to her predator. She'd told that vampiric nurse Shizune that she didn't mind becoming food for Uchiha Sasuke, but the fact remained that this reality wasn't pleasant. She cringed, ready for the expected pain of fangs in her throat.

But instead, there were gentle fingers on her cheeks and cold lips on hers.

And thus Sakura's reality shattered. When she opened her eyes, it wasn't a monster's gray face and bug-like eyes looking at her, but the handsome face of the boy she loved, his inky eyes soft and his pink lips curved at a corner in a familiar smirk.

"Sakura," he murmured, pulling slightly away to look at her, his lids heavy with thick lashes. "Until I break you or until I turn eighteen, which will it be?"

"Neither," she replied, letting her tears continue to fall, "because I want to be with you for much, much longer than that."

She reached up, wrapped her arms weakly around his neck, and tugged him down, initiating the kiss for the first time.


	30. deadline

[A/N] 30th chapter! Wooo! Of course, there's still some ways to go for this story, but we're proceeding towards the final stages now. Thank you to everyone who has favorited or is following me/this story, and especially to those that reviewed!

On another note, I am searching for a good-natured, talented beta reader. As my beta, you'll pretty much be checking over the latest chapters of Shelter from the Rain, fixing grammar and catching inconsistencies (e.g. Sasuke leans back twice), and also helping me evolve my plans for my next chapter fic (a mystery/drama), which I likely won't publish until I'm finished SftR. Please express you interest in a PM or a review! Thanks so much, and enjoy the chappie!

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

30} deadline

.

.

_when I'm with you, the world seems to look a little bit more beautiful_

.

It wasn't until Sakura fell unconscious in his arms that Sasuke realized the severity of the situation: Kabuto lay dead on the ground, and he was the murderer. Sasuke had expected to feel remorse or anger or sadistic pleasure when he walked over and picked up the corpse, but instead, he only felt an odd sense of determination.

"Have you made your decision?" asked a familiar voice behind him.

Sasuke didn't need to turn to know who is was. "Kakashi," he greeted the older man, without looking at him. "After what's just happened, I can't run away anymore."

"And how do you plan to go on?" It was easy to hear the hint of an approving smile in the words.

"To defeat Orochimaru at any cost," Sasuke said.

"So I assume you've properly made up your mind. No more confusion?"

Finally, Sasuke turned and met the single visible eye of his guardian. "You told me I needed to remember to protect those special to me, didn't you?" he said, his expression utterly vulnerable.

Kakashi smiled, and ruffled his protege's head in a fatherly gesture. "That's right. Speaking of which, you need to get that girl to a hospital." Kakashi reached around and took the limp body from Sasuke's hands. "Go. I'll take care of this. Use your hands to protect those close to you, not to drag corpses. I'll be the one to clean up after you, if I can't be the one to get here fast enough to help you."

Sasuke glanced down at the expressionless face of his predator, then back to his guardian's masked face. "Everything's going to go to hell from now, isn't it?"

It wasn't Sasuke's first kill, but regardless of the number, it was a dead body with a broken neck they were holding. Kabuto was still warm, rigor mortis yet to set in. How the two living vampires were acting so calm made no sense, and yet that was exactly what they were doing. Talking casually, like nothing was wrong (but, both thought quietly to themselves, from here on everything was and was going to be wrong).

"Not yet. I'm fairly positive Orochimaru will wait until you make your move, as long as his current body's condition is alright," replied Kakashi. "Kabuto was sent to fight you as something akin to a suicide mission... Orochimaru only wanted to test if you were still dependent on the curse seal to fight your battles." The man directed a sharp, one-eyed gaze at the younger boy. "Sasuke, you know the meaning of that seal."

"That I'm weak and have none of my own power," replied Sasuke. "I know."

"If you've made up your mind, you know you're going to have to sacrifice a lot of things in order to keep this girl safe. She's weak, and like I said before, she makes you want to depend on being human, but... I suppose I'm grateful to her."

"...Why?"

"If it weren't for her, you probably never would have reverted back to your normal form. I was trying to get here as fast as I could, but it was too late for me to save you from yourself. Yet somehow she did it, even when you'd already lost yourself to the curse seal form. I'm not sure what that means, but right now isn't the time to discuss this." Kakashi turned. "Now quickly, get her to a hospital, before she dies from blood loss. We'll talk later, the three of us, once you two have healed somewhat."

.

.

_I want to be with her_

.

They were put in different rooms in the hospital, no matter how much Sasuke threatened Shizune and demanded for a room just for the two of them. She'd replied angrily that because they required different treatments, they were in different quarters of the hospital, and "You'd definitely try to sexually harass Haruno-san, so of course you can't share a room! Are you kidding me?"

They compromised by giving each of the two their own private rooms; Sakura couldn't argue, being unconscious, though Sasuke knew she would if she were awake. Sasuke had broken ribs, a fracture in his arm and several bruises; nothing too out of the ordinary that couldn't be blamed on a fight. But Sakura had lost an immense amount of blood, with bite marks all over her body, as well as a concussion, abrasions adorning her scalp.

"A huge dog attacked her," had been Sasuke's half-hearted explanation after he'd dragged her unconscious body to the hospital, and she'd been taken in for an emergency blood transfusion and a general cleanup. Shizune had managed to take charge of her and Sasuke, limiting the exposure of the bite marks to the rest of the staff, but Sasuke could hear the nurses whispering when they walked by.

"If vampires were real, that's what those marks would look like, I think," one of them had said, and Sasuke had nearly stopped breathing, until her companion had giggled, remarking to the other that she spent too much time watching cheesy vampire romance movies.

That's right. In the world of humans, vampires weren't supposed to be real... But to Sakura, their very dangerous existence was indeed real, and that reality had left her body broken and torn. Was it really okay for him to drag her further into his world? Despite his ultimate decision to take all means to protect her, it was inevitable that she would continue to get hurt.

His emotions raged chaos inside of him; he tried not to think about it, gazing hard at the rain pouring outside.

.

.

_enjoying the momentary peace_

.

"Sa. Ku. Ra. Chaaaaan!"

"N-Naruto?"

The blond plopped down onto a chair beside her bed, pushing the curtain around it aside. He then pushed a white flower in front of her face, surprising her. "For you," he said, and grinned.

Sakura blinked a few times, surprised, before accepting it. "Thank you," she said sincerely, bringing it to her nose and taking in its sweet scent. "How'd you know I like daffodils?"

"Because you brought them for the bastard all the time when he was cooped up in the hospital last time," Naruto said, and bent down momentarily to tie his shoe. When he looked up again, he laughed aloud at how red her face was. "Oh," he said, grinning wildly. "I knew it."

"W-what?" she said too quickly.

"You finally figured out you like him, huh?"

She didn't hesitate to shoot him a glare. "So?"

"Wow, not denying it?" Naruto tilted his head, and hesitantly asked, "So you really do love the bastard?"

Sakura opened her mouth to say, but found that no words would come out. So she bit her lip, and looked down wordlessly at the yellow flower in her hands.

"It's complicated, isn't it?" asked the blond, his voice soft.

"It's just..." She glanced out the window. It was raining outside, not quite cold enough for the precipitation to come down as snow although it was only a few days until December hit. "I'm a little confused."

She loved Sasuke, that was certain. But it felt so different from anything she had ever felt before, and she'd been in love before... and she knew the Uchiha's feelings must also be a mess.

Wearing a sad smile, she looked at the blond with melancholic green eyes. "Naruto, do you know the meaning of the daffodil?"

.

.

_I don't think I understand love  
><em>

.

_I want to be with you._

_But I'm scared of being with you, because there are things you don't know about me yet, and you might leave me when you find out._

_I want my embrace to be the place where you know you can always return.  
><em>

_But I'm frightened of hurting you. I'm not perfect, and I'm not invincible. I might not always be able to protect you.  
><em>

_I want to tell you that you should stay by my side forever._

_But I'm afraid of being so vulnerable with you. I'm afraid of getting hurt._

_And yet, despite all this trepidation, I love you. And that's never going to change._

.

.

_that's all_

.

"Hey."

Sasuke glanced up from his book to see his best friend's head poking out from the doorway. "...Hn," he said in reply.

The blond quietly came in, and took a seat beside Sasuke's bed.

There was a long moment of silence, until Sasuke broke it with a rough, "What's wrong with you?", as he shut his book and put it on a spot beside his pillow. The blond's sullenness was both irritating and disturbing; Sasuke didn't know how to react to it.

"I just visited Sakura-chan," said Naruto, not looking at him.

Sasuke paused before he could coolly answer, "And?"

"She told me a lot of stuff."

"About?"

"Daffodils."

Sasuke blinked a few times, not comprehending. "Daffodils?" he repeated, trying to confirm that was indeed that Naruto had said.

"Do you know what they mean, Sasuke?"

If Naruto was saying his name, rather than 'bastard', this meant serious business. "No, I don't," replied Sasuke, quickly growing somber.

"Well, when I went to go buy them, Ino told me they meant new beginnings. You know, like spring." Naruto still wasn't meeting his best friend's eyes. "Actually, I confessed to Sakura-chan a while ago."

Sasuke said nothing, only stared hard at his clasped hands. Honestly, he wasn't exactly surprised, but he was shocked at how jealous he felt. The heat rushed through his body and struck right at his heart, hitting him hard.

"So to symbolize a new start for the both of us, I brought a daffodil in. It's weird. I still have feelings for Sakura-chan, but right now, in my eyes, I've been seeing Hinata more and more. It's like I'm being healed, like... when Hinata looks at me, I feel like I can become a better person. Like I'm safe. Like being who I am is okay, and that no matter what happens, she'll keep me safe." Naruto glanced outside.

Sasuke followed his movement. The windowpane was covered with drops of the falling rain, gently hitting the glass in a soft rhythm.

"It's like... Hinata is my shelter from the rain. I think I'm starting to fall in love with her."

_Pit, pat, pit, pat._

"But to Sakura, the daffodil means something totally different. To her, it's not a new start." Naruto hands trembled, then became fists. He suddenly jumped up and grabbed at Sasuke's hospital shirt. "Back then... back when you got into the hospital for the first time, you know why she brought you daffodils, but never came to see you?"

The fingers tightened, and Naruto brought their faces so close that their noses nearly touched. Sasuke stared back, the dark eyes blank.

"Because to her, the daffodil is unrequited love. And she thinks that's how it's going to always be. If love is shelter, then Sakura-chan's convinced she'll walk in the rain forever." Naruto dropped his fist and pulled away. "She's willing to sacrifice herself for you, but what have you done? Nothing!"

"I know."

"No, you don't, you asshole, you treat her like an object and—"

"I love her."

Naruto's jaw shut as he pointed a wide-eyed stare in his best friend's direction.

"I love her," repeated Sasuke, his dark eyes unblinking as he spoke the words, as if the realization was a life-changing epiphany. Perhaps it was.

The blond sighed. "Better late than never," he remarked, shaking his head, and further inquired, "Then why don't you tell her that? She still doesn't know."

The surprise of Sasuke's realization did not detract from his reaction time. "I don't think she should know," he said.

"Oh, cut it out with the melodrama!" Naruto cried, slapping a hand to his forehead. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Are you two the stars of some Korean drama? Did you think you're not allowed to love her, or something?!" Visibly frustrated, the blond jammed his hands into his orange jacket's pockets so that his fists didn't aim for the bastard's face. "Look, regardless of who you are or what you've been through or what you're going to face in the future, pretending that you're not worthy of love is baseless."

"Don't act like you understand," said Sasuke, his voice lowering dangerously.

"I understand a lot better than your tiny pea of a brain," retorted his best friend, shaking his head in anger. "Hell, you're so book smart but you're an idiot when it comes to people, Sasuke! Sakura-chan_ loves_ you, okay?"

"...I'm aware of that," he said.

"Then _what the fuck_ is wrong with letting her know you feel the same way? You guys have mutual feelings—that's an amazing thing! It's stupid not to act on that!"

"I don't want her to get too attached to me."

"Because of what?"

"I don't need to explain myself to you."

"I asked, because of _what_, you fucking bastard? Are we best friends or not?! Stop trying to keep secrets from me! What am I here for?!"

"You don't know what I mean—don't act like you'll understand."

But the blond's next words left him cold with shock: "I know you're a vampire, Sasuke."

.

.

_what?_

.

Sakura sat, leaning against the thin pillow propped against the backside of the bed. She gazed out the window, watching the rain. Shizune had secured her a private room under Sasuke's provocations, but Sakura wouldn't have minded being in a shared room. Because she was alone, she had nothing to distract her from rambling away in her mind about her situation.

Her heart was a mess, she knew it; she loved Uchiha Sasuke, but the pain of knowing that their love was nothing but a game to him caused her chest to feel a dark, throbbing, sharp pain. She'd kissed him, for the first time, and admitted that, she wanted to be with him. But how did he see her?

He'd reciprocated the kiss with enthusiasm, but that might've just been out of glee that she was finally succumbing to attraction to him. He'd smiled at her, in a beautifully sincere way, but that could've been because their enemy was killed. He'd changed back into his human form before he ended up devouring her as he'd previously warned, though her fear of being killed had been real at that time, but perhaps he'd simply overcome it by willpower. None of that necessarily meant he loved her back...

Did he?

Could he?

Because he had kissed her again and again, like he couldn't get enough of her taste. He'd pressed soft lips against her forehead, her jaw, and in her ear, with a breathless whisper, told her "Thank you for saving me, Sakura".

He had always switched back and forth from nice to cruel to nice to cruel.

So what the hell did those words _mean_?

She was startled out of her thoughts when the door to her room slammed open, and the boy of her thoughts appeared in reality right before her eyes. "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here?" she asked, surprised, blinking rapidly as he if might be a hallucination.

"Came to see you," he said briefly, before striding over and suddenly climbing onto her bed. Sakura stared openly as he crawled onto the mattress on his hands and knees, peering down at her with inky eyes full of some kind of emotion that made them burn.

She nervously tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go. Her back pressed into her pillow. "W-what are you doing?!" she asked, stammering.

"Trying to figure something out," was all he said in reply.

Sakura's green eyes widened. Their positions left their faces in extreme proximity, and she tried to look away, but before she knew it, he was straddling her, his weight heavy on her lap as he grabbed her face between his thumb and index finger and tugged her chin back in his direction. They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, and then he closed the distance and kissed her.

She couldn't move. She stared at him, his eyes closed, the dark lashes long and beautiful. (And was that a bruise on his cheek?)

She wondered if she should kiss him back. She _wanted_ to kiss him back. But before she could act on her wishes, the moment broke as he pulled away. She couldn't look away, somewhat enchanted by his beauty, but mostly consumed with surprise... and a little bit of anger.

"What?" he asked.

"If you're toying around with me again, I wish you'd stop," she said. "You know how I feel about you now..."

"Yeah?"

She scowled. "Yeah."

"And how exactly do you feel about me?"

She let out a heavy sigh. "I know, it's weird and it might be an annoyance to you, but..."

"But?"

"Are you really doing this to me right now?" She turned her face away. "I already told you, I want to be with you."

There was a pause, then, and then he asked her outright: "Do you love me?"

Sakura looked up at him, this boy that's becoming a man, expecting to see a smirk. But his face was deadly serious... in fact, she might describe it as almost hopeful.

"Yes," she said, "I love you. So don't kiss me unless you mean it."

And then his face zoomed in and he was kissing her again, his lips warm on hers. It was an innocent kiss, just lips on lips, but it was enough to light ablaze a gentle fire in Sakura's body that made her ache for more.

As he pulled away, he murmured, "Do you get it?"

She blinked a few times, trying to recover her brain, which had just short-circuited from the unexpected second kiss, and was unable to properly respond. "Uhh," she managed.

"I meant it," he said, dark eyes serious. "That kiss."

Finally her brain calmed down enough for her to cry a "Wait a second!" She held up a hand, and hid her face with the other. "I don't... huh?"

_What? He... he kissed me, but. Eh... Wait. What?! Shit, I'm not ready!_

"I meant that kiss," he iterated, and then he took her face between his hands. Sakura swore his face seemed to look a little red. "Do you finally get it? If you don't, I'll kiss you again."

"No, I... I get it, but..." She bit her lip. "Why? Since when?

"Why? Since when? Who knows? Is that something you keep track of when you fall for someone?" He yanked a piece of her hair, playing with the long pink strand, not knowing what to do with himself. "It just happened, that's all, so don't ask me questions like that. I can't answer them."

He was embarrassed, and Sakura found it somewhat endearing. But still, it was shock, more than any other emotion, that overwhelmed her. "I didn't think I'd ever hear this from you," she said honestly.

"I wasn't going to tell you, actually. I figured you'd be safer not knowing, but that was stupid on my part. Naruto knocked some sense into me." He pointed to his cheek, at the purple bruise forming there. "He hit me hard, and I hate to admit it, but he's right. Holding back on my feelings won't make anything better."

Sakura tilted her head inquisitively. "What do you mean?"

"There's a lot we need to talk about, Sakura," he said, "because I've decided I'm going to fight Orochimaru."

.

.

_I'll give it my all  
><em>

.

"Orochimaru-sama!"

His master's body was deteriorating ahead of schedule. Kimimaro watched with fear as Orochimaru began to shudder violently. This wasn't supposed to happen until at least two more years... that was the only reason why he had allowed his next container to temporarily leave the Bloody Society and venture out into the human world.

_It's just for fun, to make Sasuke-kun think he has a future, _Kabuto had briefly explained to Kimimaro, _so that when he comes back, it'll only be so much more exciting for Orochimaru-sama to tear him apart._

_But wouldn't Orochimaru-sama be afraid of Sasuke-kun deciding to rebel? _Kimimaro had asked.

_Of course not, _Kabuto had laughed,_ because destroying a rebellious Sasuke-kun will only make Orochimaru-sama feel even more accomplished and powerful._

"Bring me the blood, Kimimaro, now!"

The white-haired servant quickly grabbed the engraved ceramic pot, filled with the blood of a dead noble vampire. He held it out to his master respectfully with two hands, who grabbed it unceremoniously and quickly swallowed the thick liquid. As Orochimaru drank, his intense shuddering calmed. Once he'd finished off the pot, he handed the container back to the other vampire in the room, as he licked the crimson remnants off his pale lips.

"Kimimaro," he barked.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?"

"We will expedite the body exchange." The dark eyes narrowed, cold and fearless. "Unfortunately for Sasuke-kun, I will have to break our little promise and drag him back here slightly earlier than his eighteenth birthday."

.

.

_for the freedom of being with you_

.

Naruto stumbled out of the hospital in something like a daze, holding his bruised cheek. Exchanging blows with the Uchiha had always been the best way for the two to have a proper 'conversation'. The nurse who had run into the room, hearing the shouting, had kicked him out immediately, but Naruto had very much won. Although, true, Sasuke was still weak and recovering, but still.

"Naruto-kun!"

He looked up, and a genuine smile pulled his lips into a happy curve. "Hinata!" he cried, and jogged over to where she sat on a nearby bench. "Sorry to make you meet me here."

"Oh, I don't mind," she said, smiling. "How did it go?"

"Hmm, well, the bastard got me good." He pointed to his cheek.

Hinata gasped, and then dug through her small purse and pulled out some ointment. "Naruto-kun, I know that you said men talk with their fists, but I wish you'd be more careful..."

"Eh, well, some stuff happened," replied Naruto, shrugging, and he took a seat next to the Hyuuga heiress on the bench. She gently patted some ointment onto his bruise as he talked. "The bastard was trying to persuade himself that not telling Sakura he loves her was a good idea."

"So... he really does l-love Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah."

"Oh," said Hinata. "Well, I'm happy for them, but..." She bit her bottom lip.

She looked so pretty in that moment that Naruto had to resist the urge to gape. "What, are you worried they won't work out?"

"N-no, that's not it, u-um, it's just, well, I'm worried about y-you."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"You... s-still like Sakura-chan, don't you?" Hinata's fingers left his cheek. "Is it... really okay with you? W-won't you feel hurt if you see those two together?"

She was stammering. That meant she was nervous.

_Oh, shit._

He suddenly flung his head down, towards her neck, and pressed his cheek against her shoulder.

"N-Naruto-kun?!"

"Sorry, Hinata, just let me stay here for a bit." He hid his face in the crook of her soft neck, trying to take control of his bright red face. _Shit, shit, shit. She's way too cute.  
><em>

"Are you... are you hurting right now, thinking about it?"

"That's not it," he answered. "I want those two to be together, really. I'm just... a little overwhelmed right now."

There was a brief silence before Hinata spoke. "Naruto-kun..."

"...Yeah?"

"I... I'm not extremely slender, and I don't have pretty green eyes, and I'm not very good at volleyball. I don't look good in vibrant colors and... and I'm very different from the type of girl you like, b-but I, um, I... I'm going to grow my hair out!"

Naruto pulled away from her shoulder to stare at her openly. "What?" he asked, confused.

"Y-you like long hair, right?" she squeaked, her words rising an octave as he met her eyes.

"Um, yeah, I guess..."

"I want to do my best to become the type of girl you like," she said, eyes downcast.

He burst out in laughter, and she shot a glance at him in surprise, the pale eyes clearing asking why he was laughing in such a situation. Her cheeks burned red.

"I guess... that's stupid of me..." she said, embarrassed. "Sorry..."

"No, no, you're mistaken Hinata, I'm not laughing at you," Naruto wheezed, trying to contain his mirth. "It's just, I guess, hmmm... Well, I really want to kiss you real bad right now?"

Now it was her turn to be confused. "Eh?"

And then his fingers were on her jaw and chin, tilting her face towards his.

"Can I?" he murmured, his voice low and deep.

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-es please."

.

.

_it's love_

.

Kakashi passed a quick glance at the blond boy and dark-haired girl, the two sharing an innocent kiss on the bench, as he strode by quietly towards the hospital doors. _Young love_, he mused with a smirk.

But he had his own couple of young, teenage idiots he had to worry about: an arrogant, not cute vampire with an expiration date on his freedom, and a confused human girl who had tragically fallen in love with him.

_Young love_, he thought with a sigh, as he approached the reception desk. _I just hope it doesn't kill them._


	31. honesty

[A/N] I'm currently laptop-less and typed chunks of this on my iPod touch when I couldn't borrow a sibling's laptop, so pleeeeaaaase forgive the lateness and typos and possibly awkward autocorrect and I AM SO SORRY.

_Q__uality-checked by_**_ mannuj._** Many thanks and hugs to this amazing girl!

Also... add me on tumblr? XD I'm pretty active on there, so if you have any questions about SftR or about me or just wanna flail/rant about sasusaku (e.g. MAGICAL 685 or even Kakashi ship-blocking Sasuke in today's chap XD) just direct any of your concerns/inquiries/random thoughts at me and I'll be happy to reply :D **reni-chan** is my username.

Happy reading~

* * *

><p><strong>Shelter from the Rain<strong>  
>a vampire fic<p>

30} honesty

.

.

_will you let me be your shelter?_

.

"Wait—_this_ person is Kakashi-san?" Sakura shot a wide-eyed look at the silver-haired man in astonishment for a moment, lips parted in surprise,before she turned to the boy sitting next to her for confirmation. Sasuke watched like a hawk as his consort's green eyes flickered back and forth between him and the older man who had just entered the hospital room.

Hatake Kakashi watched silently for a moment, wondering how to respond, but settled on giving the girl a small wave and a big smile behind his high turtleneck. "Long time no see," he greeted Sakura, who gasped and dropped her head into as low a bow as she could do, considering her seated position on the bed.

Sasuke suddenly wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "You two know each other?" he inquired, narrowing his dark eyes at the older man, as Sakura hesitantly straightened her back again.

_Young,_ jealous_ love. _Kakashi wanted to roll his eyes, but refrained. He could be an adult, especially since Sasuke was acting so much like a child. "We met almost a year ago, I believe."

"Yes..." Sakura breathed, looking lost in memory for a moment until she turned to look at Sasuke, whose cheek was pressing into hers. "Why are you so mad?" she asked, noticing his sharp glare directed at the older man.

"I'm _not_." He certainly sounded like he was, and his next choice of words only reaffirmed this fact. "But why the hell do you two know each other?"

Sakura and Kakashi exchanged glances. Kakashi scratched the back of his head, deliberating, unsure of how much he could say. But thankfully, Sakura spoke up first.

"He saved me," she said, her voice trembling. "I was going to... I'd given up on everything after senpai abandoned me... but Kakashi-san stopped me. He's the one who convinced me to go to the high school here, and even showed me a cheap place to live. He basically set me up here."

Sasuke suddenly shot a glare at the older man. "Wait a second," he said. "Did you purposefully...?"

.

.

_my savior_

.

"You don't actually want to die, do you?"

A strong grip yanked her thin body back to the safe side of the railing. Sakura remained there for another few seconds, breathing hard, her stomach pressing into the metal railing. Then she turned and glared at the silver-haired man, her eyes bloodshot. The girl looked as if she hadn't slept for a few days.

"Why did you stop me?" she asked, beginning to violently shake, and she fell to her knees. He was still grasping her wrist, so one of her arms hovered in the air. "I'd just gathered all my courage, I'd just jumped, I'd finally done it, and then, and then—_you pull me back_? I finally, finally did it, and you—and you—_bastard!_ My life has nothing to do with you, why can't you just...?!" And then she promptly burst into tears.

He released his grip and crouched down beside her. "Why are you in so much pain?" he asked her gently.

The girl struggled to form coherent words. "Otou-san... Okaa-san... and even senpai... everyone, everyone, they all_ leave_ me, and—I don't know what I'm doing wrong. No, I'm just... I'm doing _everything_ wrong. I must be a terrible person, that's why they all disappear, even though I think it's forever, but it never is, it _never_ is, and I'm _suffocating_!" She gasped, tugging at her chest. "It's like I can't _breathe_! I feel like I just have to leave, I have to disappear, I can't take this anymore, and..." She ducked her head, hiding her tear-stricken face. "I'll just never be good enough for anybody."

"Shh," he said, and ruffled her hair. She looked up at him, eyes wet and hopeless behind the strands of her hair.

She reminded him so much of a certain young vampire that he couldn't just let her go, and before he knew it, he was speaking to her. "Hey. I have an idea."

Her bottom lip trembled. It was enough of a response. At least, she would listen.

"Why don't you start over?" he told her, softly.

She looked at him with wide eyes, communicating disbelief and uncertainty. "I can't," she said, the words sounding automatic.

"Why?"

"Because I'm scared."

"If you're scared, it means you still have something to lose."

She finally seemed to pause, staring at him. His words were beginning to light a spark of hope.

"You're still alive. Isn't that something precious? You still have a chance to find happiness. You might continue to get hurt, but if you don't try, you will absolutely lose any chance of finding happiness again." He dropped his hand, and smiled at her from under his mask. "I know cliche words like that don't have much effect. But... I believe in them. Because I don't want to see you disappear."

"...Why?"

"I know someone very much like you. He's been through a lot of pain. His entire family was killed, and he has a time limit on his future before he loses everything, but despite all that, he's still doing his best. He's fighting against his time limit. Fighting for his happiness."

The girl looked away. "I guess I remind you of him. But he's different from me. Just because his story is like mine doesn't mean you can assume what works for him will work for me." Her words were carefully cold.

"In what way? Everyone is entitled to find happiness, don't you think?"

She suddenly met his eyes. They were impossibly green. "He's different because he has _you_." Then she glanced away again, staring over the bridge railing on the opposite side, her gaze forlorn and still tinged with anger.

Kakashi pulled a pen from his pocket. "If you listen to what I have to say, you'll be able to find someone like me, too."

She didn't reply, only tenaciously continued to look away.

"I have faith in you. I think you can do the same thing. How old are you?"

She mumbled her reply. "Just turned fifteen."

"So about to start high school?" he asked.

"...Yeah."

Kakashi took her hand and began to write on the back of it. She watched as he scribbled in careful, yet rather unelegant scrawl; the black ink was sharp and clear against her pale skin.

_Konoha District High School_

_Kibou APT_

He pointed to the first line with the back of the pen. "Konoha District High School is a public high school. It's in a nice place, safe neighborhood, and it's not too huge." He slid his finger down to the second line. "Kibou Apartments are a few minutes walk from the high school, but they have pretty spacious one bedroom apartments for cheap."

"...Why are you helping me?" Her green eyes were distrustful, confused, but he could still see that glimmer of hope in there. "You're a complete stranger."

"It's _because_ I don't know you." Seeing her confused expression, he tried to explain further: "Hmm. Well, let's say it like this. I want you to live." He put his pen back into his pocket. "That boy I was telling you about—the one whose entire family that's been killed? Well, I've managed to convince him to keep trying, to keep living even though it's always going to be a struggle, and that he might lose even if he tries. If I give up on you, a random girl I met on the street, I have no right to keep believing in him, see?"

"I don't think I understand."

"Well, I'm helping you for personal, selfish reasons. Let's leave it at that. But whether you choose to accept my help or not is entirely up to you." He stood up, and took her forearm to also get her to rise her to her feet. He pulled her up; she didn't fight it. He smiled.

"I'll give this to you." He handed her a small packet of tissues, the type they gave away for free on the street. It had no inherent value, but the girl held it to her heart, as if it were precious. "Wipe your tears with them and look forward. If you continue to cry, I will feel sad. Good luck," he told her, and then he was on his way.

"Thank you," she called out to his back, sincerely.

He held his hand up in a lazy farewell, not looking back, but wondering if he'd ever meet her again. He might not have done anything for her, but there was also the chance he did.

.

.

_thank you for believing in me_

.

"You weren't trying to set us up or anything, were you?" Sasuke asked suspiciously.

Kakashi blinked, then reached forward and grabbed the smaller boy's head with one hand, squeezing it as punishment. "Hey. It's true that I sent her to your school and to your apartment building, but I had nothing to do with the fact that she got the apartment right next to yours. That's only the work of Fate."

Sasuke's gaze continued to pin him down.

With a wry smile, the older vampire released his protege's head and crossed his arms. "Well, I may have been hoping that you two would meet each other, but I never expected _this_ development that day I met her." He gestured generally in the two's direction, referring to their relationship. "Well... now that we're all here, shall we talk?"

Sasuke hesitated. "I want to talk to Sakura, first."

"Do you want me to leave?" Kakashi asked, and raised an brow inquisitively. "If this is a private conversation, by which I mean _intimate_, I'd rather_ not_ hear it."

Sasuke considered it for a moment, then finally said, "No. It's fine." He turned his inky gaze to the girl sitting beside him. They were in Sakura's hospital room, and Sasuke wondered if the nurse would come looking for him soon, since he'd essentially escaped from his own room, which was in a different ward of the hospital. But that didn't matter so much now; it was time to get serious.

"Sakura," he said quietly, "things are going to get extremely dangerous from here."

Kakashi took a seat on a chair a few feets' distance away, observing quietly.

The girl nodded.

"And I don't mean just for me. The thing is, you're likely going to be a target. I need to train somewhere away from here, away from other people, and Kakashi will help me. So the question is... where do you want to be?" His gaze was uncertain as he looked at her. "This is why I didn't want to tell you about... about, er." His eyes flickered towards Kakashi. "I didn't want to tell you about my feelings because I didn't want to affect your decision... but regardless of what you choose, there's a good chance I might have to leave you behind with somebody—to be safe."

They met gazes for a silent moment. Then: "You really are an idiot," Sakura said, her green gaze and words unapologetically straightforward.

He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She bit her lip, feeling embarrassed, but finally said it: "I can wait. I'm fine with waiting." She paused. "As long as you come back."

He gripped her hand, and ducked his head, just enough that his hair cast shadows over his eyes. "Yeah. Thanks."

"I know I'm useless in an actual fight. I'll just make you worried and have to protect me. It's better to leave me behind." Sakura closed her eyes. "Well, that's what I can say rationally..." But neither of them really wanted to leave each other, that was certain.

Kakashi finally spoke up. "It'll might safer to stick with one of us at all times possible until the actual confrontation, because you never know when Orochimaru might send someone to kidnap you, Sakura. And when Sasuke is finally ready to fight, we will leave you in the custody of one of our allies... Shizune, probably."

"Regardless, we still have some time," Sasuke added. "Orochimaru's body isn't supposed to deteriorate for at least another year and a half. His plan is to switch into my body when I turn eighteen." The younger vampire reached up to point at his cursed seal mark. "This thing marks me as his. We need to take Orochimaru down before he tries to initiate the switch."

"The problem is, we probably have less time than that, Sasuke," Kakashi said. "Considering how Kabuto suddenly appeared, it could be a sign that Orochimaru is getting desperate. Kabuto might have been a check on your current level of power. It's possible Orochimaru's body is deteriorating faster than it should be, which means he'll be coming after Sasuke sooner than planned." He noticed the worry beginning to etch into the girl's face. "But... it might also mean nothing. Don't look so stressed, Sakura. It's a conjecture, not a fact."

"Even if it's a conjecture, you're going to prepare for it, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "All we can do now, regardless of Orochimaru's situation, is make Sasuke as strong as possible without the use of the curse seal."

Sakura furrowed her brow. "But why not use the curse seal, when it makes Sasuke-kun so strong?" she asked. "Doesn't it make sense to utilize and enhance what power he already has?"

"Because Orochimaru controls the curse seal," Sasuke said. "That'd be like a puppet trying to attack the puppet master controlling its strings. And besides..." He pressed his hand against the mark, cringing. "It's getting to the point where I might not be able to change back into myself if I use it again."

"But didn't you convert back the other two times fine?"

"Last time was only because of you, Sakura."

There was silence as Sakura's cheeks started matching her hair, under her consort's intense gaze. "Oh," she whispered, remembering what had happened.

"Enough," Kakashi practically groaned. "I don't want to see a boy I raised _flirt_."

Sasuke immediately shot the older vampire a sharp glare.

"I'm joking, I'm joking. Stop looking at me like that, Sasuke." He turned his one-eyed gaze to the girl. "But it really was thanks to you, Sakura, that he changed back. I was on my way, but I was too late." The silver-haired man smiled at her, and she hesitantly smiled back.

"I don't understand how I stopped him though." she said, looking a little bewildered.

Kakashi had to stop himself from smirking. "Ask Sasuke that sometime when you two are alone," he said. Sasuke's death glare was now strong enough to melt something. Kakashi didn't dare meet the boy's eyes for fear of that gaze boring a flaming hole through him.

Sakura tilted her head inquisitively, but asked no further. Instead, she turned to a different topic. "Is there anything I can do to help with the situation?"

Both vampires fell silent, exchanging long looks.

"Believe," said Kakashi softly. "That's all. I can't promise everything will go well, Sakura. But you'll have to have faith that everything will be okay."

Sasuke's hand felt cold in hers; Sakura squeezed it tight, trying to transfer some of her own body heat, and prayed for the best.

.

.

_so please believe in him_

.

The discussions continued on for a while. Kakashi came to visit a few more times, and soon Sakura and Sasuke were released from the hospital. Sakura left the hospital a few days later than Sasuke, lacking his faster recovery despite his more severe wounds, and then they were suddenly in the midst of exams before winter break. Sasuke had called Sakura's workplace soon after entering the hospital, explained the situation, and managed to get a few weeks of vacation for Sakura until the end of exams.

The scratching of mechanical pencils and the squeak of erasers created a harmony in the chilly classrooms for most of the week. Sakura, lacking sleep from last minute studying, had to fight to stay awake as she filled in her answers. The medication she had to regularly take further prevented her from giving it her all, and she stumbled out of the classroom after the last exam without any confidence in receiving a good score.

"Sakura, how'd you do?" Ino asked, following after her.

"...Dunno," she replied truthfully.

"I got Shikamaru to tutor me, so I think I'm pretty set," the blond grinned. "Well, now all that's left is the closing ceremony, and it's winter break! I hate exams, but... I feel so free, once they're done! It's not a bad exchange, I guess."

"Ino..."

The blond paused, then turned to look at the girl beside her. "What? What is it?"

"I need to talk to you."

The hall was mostly empty, the students generally leaving straight after finishing their exams. The two girls stood in near silence, only soft murmurs and the sounds of footsteps permeating the atmosphere.

"Are you mad because I only visited you in the hospital once?" Ino asked, keeping the tone light. "Sorry, but I was really busy! Honest! The flower shop's going to be given to me someday, so my parents are being really pushy about me learning everything I need to know sooner rather than later."

"No, that's... I was happy you visited at all." Sakura felt embarrassed saying it, then realized she was getting off track. "But that's not it. There's something that, um, I didn't tell you. That I need to tell you. I've been pushing it off, and... well, I wasn't so sure about it being real myself, and I was confused about it... but anyway, it's not fair to you at all." She was beginning to ramble.

Ino quickly sombered. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

"Sasuke-kun and I are... We're together, now."

"Oh," was all Ino said, but despite the disinterested tone, her blue eyes were blown wide.

There was a heavy silence. Sakura tried to stop her slight trembling, but this situation was exhausting. She'd held the information back from Ino for several days now, and it couldn't be fair, not when Ino had so earnestly chased after Sasuke's affections.

Sakura was painfully reminded of her days in elementary school. _I'm hurting Ino again. _"I'm sor—"

"Don't you dare apologize," Ino said, her voice low and harsh, while blue eyes turned to meet the green of her childhood friend's.

Sakura was surprised to see the usual baby blue looking frozen, like pure, chilly ice.

"_Don't_ apologize. Apologizing to me is you looking down on me, and there's no way I'll allow that. I have pride, you know." The soft voice cracked somewhere near the end.

"But—"

"Don't you dare feel sorry. I'm not that weak, Sakura."

No. Those eyes... it wasn't ice, after all. "Ino..."

"I knew it, you know. I knew all along you were falling for him, and he was starting to love you, too. I knew it. If anyone's supposed to apologize, it's me, Sakura."

The blue eyes were melting.

Tears.

"I'm sorry for never having been there for you. In the end, you had to depend on Sasuke-kun instead of me. If I was just a little more dependable, I—I—to be honest, I wanted you to approach me and tell me about everything going on." Ino was positively sobbing now. "I thought that by edging you on with Sasuke-kun, you might get mad, and then yell at me—because when you're angry, that's when you really talk about how you feel, you know? You don't hold back when you're mad. But with me, I feel like you always hold back, and—and—"

Sakura just stood there, shocked at the sudden emotion from Ino, who usually acted so cool and self-controlled. Ino, the girl she'd idealized and admired for years. After a moment's deliberation, Sakura reached into her bag and pulled out a pack of tissues, one she'd received for free on the street, and handed it to the crying girl beside her.

Ino just continued babbling half-incoherently as her tears fell, not seeing the tissues Sakura was holding out to her. "Actually, I was only using Sasuke-kun as a means to make you jealous, you know, to edge you on. So I'm not mad you got him, Sakura. Don't blame yourself. I don't care."

Suddenly Ino threw her arms around her. Sakura stood in stunned silence as the slender arms tightened around her. Her hand still held out the tissues awkwardly, ignored and frozen in mid-air.

"But you have no idea how I felt when you abandoned me in sixth grade!" Ino wailed into Sakura's ear.

It took the other girl a long moment to finally gather her thoughts together and respond, and she did it by wrapping her own arms around the blond's waist. "Ino," Sakura said softly.

"I'm seriously so, so angry! I'm still mad! I think I know now, why you did it, but... but..."

"I'm sorry."

"_Don't_ apologize, how many times do I have to tell you? I hate it when you do that. I hate it when you see yourself as trash, Sakura. It really pisses me off- that low self-esteem of yours."

"Yeah."

"Idiot."

"Mm."

"Stupid."

"Eh..."

"Dummy."

"I get it, Ino."

The blond finally pulled away, just enough for blue to sink into green as Ino met Sakura's eyes. "Why didn't you depend on me more? Back then, I mean."

"I didn't want you to get hurt. And... and besides, _you're_ the one who didn't depend on me. You never..." Sakura felt tears unexpectedly well up in her eyes, suddenly sentimental. Ino's tears were probably contagious. "You never told me the other girls were bullying you because of me."

"You would've felt terrible if I told you!"

"But I figured it out anyway..."

"Well, you should've told me you figured it out! I didn't know that! You left me without a word. I thought you left me for that guy..."

"That was a lie."

"Damn, I knew it!" Ino grit her teeth. "You're such a liar!"

"Yeah..."

"Never lie to me again, you hear me? Stupid."

Sakura started to laugh.

"Don't laugh! I'm insulting you!"

"I can't—I don't—why am I laughing?!" Sakura's face turned red, unable to stop giggling. It felt like so much of the weight on her shoulders, carried since sixth grade, had suddenly dropped off, leaving her giddy.

"Idiot," said Ino, and everything felt like it was going to be okay.

.

.

_it's okay_

.

"...Ah."

Shikamaru paused, taking in the sight of his neighbor curled into a ball on the bottom stair of the fire escape, her arms wrapped around her legs, her face hidden in her knees and behind her long blond hair. He had been heading home for dinner, but taken a detour towards the fire escape, somehow just _knowing_ that Ino would be crying there, and surely enough, here she was.

"Troublesome..." he muttered, as he dropped his school bag and stepped onto the stair Ino was sitting on.

She recognized his voice and his catchphrase, and barked back a muffled, "Then leave!"

"You've been troublesome since I met you. You think I'm gonna leave now after all these years?"

Ino sniffled, finally lifting her face from her knees. When she looked up to give him a glare, her eyes were rimmed with red. "You came to watch me cry?"

"I came to make sure you were okay."

"I'm _fine_!" she retorted angrily.

"You act like you're fine, and then you come here to the fire escape to cry by yourself. This has been a habit of yours since middle school."

"...Whatever," she muttered, settling her chin on her knees and determinedly not meeting his eyes.

"So what exactly happened this time? Although I can guess."

Ino's expression darkened. "Sakura and... Sasuke-kun are... together now. Sakura told me today after school."

Shikamaru let out a quiet sigh. "I see," he said.

"She kept apologizing. It made me so mad..." Ino began to tremble, and fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. "So I lied to her. I lied about using him, just to rile her up. Because she seemed like it hurt her to even tell me, and I just... I hate it when she looks like that, you know? Like she's convinced she hurts people just by being alive."

Shikamaru remained silent, knowing Ino didn't need any words of sympathy here; she just needed someone to listen.

"But the truth is, I really do love Sasuke-kun. I do. But I could see the way he looked at Sakura, and the way she looked at him, and I just knew I didn't even have a chance, though I've loved him all this time. And I just... Shikamaru, everything _hurts_."

He closed the short distance with a single step, and pressed a hand onto the top of her head. "Yeah," was all he said. "I know."

Ino grabbed hold of his leg and began sobbing into the fabric of his uniform pants. Shikamaru watched quietly, stroking her head, this fragile girl always pretending to be strong.

"It isn't easy, is it?" he asked.

She pulled away just enough to look at him with wet eyes, confused. "...What?"

"Finding your happy ending."

She shook her head.

"But, even so," Shikamaru said, "I'll help you find yours."

And finally, Ino smiled.


End file.
